The Green Monster
by sinisteruto
Summary: Losing Laurel Lance to Damian Darhk has changed Oliver's perspective on life, or has it only made him accept what he knew all along, about himself and about the world. Will Oliver be the Hero that Star City deserves or will he go Dark enough to see himself become the very thing that he seeks to destroy? Dark Oliver/Green Arrow.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the arrow or any other series I might use for inspiration.

 **Author Notes:**

 **The story begins in Star City but will crossover with the Flash, Constantine, and Supergirl. Later it might crossover with DC based movies such as Suicide Squad, Man of Steel, Superman vs Batman, Green Lantern, etc etc.**

 **The main character is Oliver Queen. Pairing is not decided yet, but Susan Williams, Earth 2 Laurel, and Talia Al Ghul are possibilities. And Nyssa of course, she is his wife after all.**

 **Mr. Terric and Ragman will be important characters in the story.**

 **Wild Dog and Artemis fans, they'll appear in the story, but am not sure yawl will like what I have planned for them.**

 **Fans of my other stories. I usuall work on two stories at a time. Currently I'm working on this one and Gravitational Forces (Naruto). So fans of that one expect a new chapter in a week or two.**

 **Curtis/Mr Terrific is not gay in this story. Probably some of you will complain about me changing his sexuality, in which case I will have to call you out on your hypocricy, as many of you write and read slash fics about characters that are supposed to be straight all the time. To then complain when the tables are turned is the definition of hypocricy.**

 **Oliver will be ruthless and cruel to his enemies, and might appear to be moraliy ambiguous at times.**

 **There will be no gay characters in this fic. Lesbian is give or take, but gay is totally out, no compromises.**

 **Hope you enjoy the story.**

 _ **Painfull Resolution**_

 _My name is Oliver Queen, former billionaire play boy, and now mayor of Star City, and secretly a vigilante assassin. Recently, I lost a very important person in my life, a woman named Laurel Lance, a woman whom I loved dearly. She was killed by Damian Darhk, who I could have killed many times, but didn't, because I was trying to be someone that I'm not, and the cost of that was an amazing person's premature death._

 _The aftermath of the whole Darhk ordeal has made me learn two fundamental lesssons. One, not killing an evil enemy when you have the chance is the worst decision a hero can make, and two, in this age of magic and metahumans, being a well trained assassin is no longer enough to make a real difference. A person needs a lot more than that, which is why I have taken the step that I took recently, exactly one month ago._

 _When I was Al Sah Him, Ra's Al Ghul had me wed to his daughter Nyssa Al Ghul, and then went on to reveal certain secrets to me, secrets he thought I would need to know in order to become his successor. Apparently, Ra's had secretly used the league's sizeable riches, skilled human resources, and connections to inspire the creation of the mirakuru super soldier drug by the Japanese in World War 2, with the intention to betray the Japanese Government and use the Mirakuru for himself and the league._

 _He succeeded too, as the sub-marine carrying the mirakuru serum never made it back to Japan. However, he would later learn that he had made a grave mistake as it turned out that the serum was defective, killing those who took it in horrible and painful ways and driving those who survived out of their minds. At that point it had been too late because he had already had all the Japanese scientists who made the drug killed, so it wasn't like he could easily continue the work to improve the drug._

 _It had taken a long time, and wasn't until just a year before he and I met that his league of scientists had finally managed to perfect the serum. However, once again Ra's had suffered a terrible setback, finding out that the effects of the Lazarus Pit on him had reached a point where his body was rejecting the serum completely, meaning that he would never be able to wield within himself the power of Mirakuru 2.0. I can't imagine how devastated he must have been when he found out that he would never become the perfect 21st century Ra's Al Ghul that he wanted to become, however, in me, partly because I survived a number of stab wounds from his sword, and also because he saw a lot of himself in me, Ra's saw a chance at redemption, a chance to forge and create something greater than himself._

 _He wanted me to become his successor, to adopt me as an heir to his thrown, and so when I agreed to join him and went through all the right of passage rituals without fail, he gave the serum to me for safe keeping, with instructions for me to take it once I became Ra's Al Ghul, so that I would never have to use the Lazarus Pit, and also so that I can have the power to combat magic and super powers, as Ra's had come to the same realisation that I had recently come to, that being an elitely trained human was no longer enough to defend humanity anymore._

 _I kept the serum to keep up with the ruse and we eventually defeated Ra's and the league. Malcolm took over the league but he never learned about the serum because Ra's had killed everyone that had been involved in its development, leaving only he and I as the only two people who knew about it. I never told anyone about the serum even to this day, and after we defeated Darhk, I went to the place where I hid it, which was the location of Ra's secret lab in Star City and retrieved the serum._

 _I was grieving at the time so I wouldn't say I was in the right frame of mind to make such a big decision, but having experienced the power boost and not having had any sign at all of any sort of negative side effects from the serum, I can safely say that I have absolutely no regrets at all about taking the serum._

 _Naturally, I've had to upgrade my training regiment, it's kind of difficult to keep fit by normal means when you can bench press a whole ton with no difficulty. I had to clean the old lab and extend it to fit my new customized gym equipment, and I go there to secretly train myself. So far it's been only Felicity and I on the job since the others all quit and left us to do this on our own, so it isn't like I had to try hard to hide my new superhuman speed, reflexes, agility, and strength, because Felicity is not there to see me in action for herself, she can only listen. Though I imagine it's only a matter of time before she hacks into some security camera and sees me do the impossible things that I've been doing lately, but it doesn't matter, it's not that I'm afraid of her finding out the truth, I just don't know how to start that conversation, and let's be honest, what I do with my body is my business and my business alone._

 _It would be different if I was suffering from either the mental or physical side effects of mirakuru, then she would deserve to know as my instability would potentially place her own life at risk, but right now, whether I tell anyone or not is my business and my business alone, in fact, I'm even considering lying completely about the changes that I have undergone, not because I'm a liar, and not just for the sake of it, but because I believe that it is highly likely that some very bad people will covert my blood and even my body itself in order to study and possibly replicate the serum if they knew how I got my powers._

 _By simply claiming that I was affected by a particle accelerator, thereby becoming a metahuman myself, then I can avoid a whole lot of potential problems in the future. I'll have to get my story straight of course, cover a number of holes in my story, but I think I already have a concrete plot to cover all the holes, or rather, to erase them completely._

"You've been spacing out a lot recently, is there something bothering you? Is everything okay?" Thea asked her older brother with a curious and concerned facial expression.

"Yes, everything is perfectly fine, and no, I'm not depressed over Felicity breaking up with me." Oliver rolled his eyes at that last part, unable to count the number of times that his beloved little sister had asked him that one single question.

"Then maybe it's because Laurel, our Laurel, my sister in everything but blood and your childhood love, possibly soul mate, was recently killed by an evil guy who wanted to destroy the entire world?" Thea asked rhetorically, Oliver this time not rolling his eyes at her, largely because he knew that Laurel's death had depressed him to no end, almost as much as Shado's death, and even more than Sarah's death prior to her resurrection.

"I've been doing a lot of soul searching since Laurel passed away, and yes, I have been extremely depressed because of her death. However, her death has been a revelation to me. All this time I thought that I was a monster for killing the bad guys, because I thought so, because Diggle, Tommy, and Felicity all thought it was bad for me to kill...but when I realised that Laurel and whole suburbs and towns could have been saved had I killed Damian Darhk like I wanted to...well..." Oliver trailed off with an angry expression on his facial features, angry at all the people that tried to change him, but most of all angry at himself for buying and drinking that cool aid.

"So that's why you've started killing again." Thea said matter of factly, a look of sudden realisation morphing into her facial features.

"You know about that?" Oliver asked with a slightly surprised tone.

"Ummm..yes! Along with everyone in Star City who watches the news." Thea retorted.

"Oh..." Was all Oliver could master, suddenly realising that he couldn't remember the last time that he had watched any tv or listened to the radio, not counting the number of times he and Felicity have intercepted the police radio frequency of course. What surprised him the most however was not the fact that he'd barely watched any tv in over six months now, but rather the fact that there hadn't been any backlash from the Justice and Law Enforcement Department or the media, after all, bad guys or not, he was killing a lot of people in cold blood since Laurel Lance's death.

 _'Maybe it's because of Laurel's death. Now that everyone knows that she was the Black Canary, then they also know that she was close to the Green Arrow, therefore it is not entirely inconceivable that they would be sympathetic to my cause, and since Damian Darhk, Deathstroke and Malcolm all took the city to the brink of extinction at one point or another, then it isn't entirely inconceivable that they would even condone the execution of dangerous criminals on site, even if it is only by their silence that they condone it.'_ Oliver theorised internally, hoping that, because most likely almost, if not in fact every Star City citizen had lost something or someone because of the notorious criminals that plague Star City, they would not speak out or protest against his ruthless assassination of hardcore criminals.

"Aaaah yeah, I'd say you're pretty darn lucky that no one has complained yet. I personally don't like that you're killing again, let's get that clear very quickly. I absolutely do not agree with your methods, no matter how hypocritical that sounds coming from me. I'm fairly certain that my disaproval won't change your mind because you're the most stubborn person that I know, so I will leave you with one simple warning. Make sure you are certain of the guilt and identities of the people that you kill. The last thing you or the city needs is for the Green Arrow to kill an innocent man or woman." Thea warned with a grave tone.

"I know, don't worry about me. I'll do what needs to be done, and yes, I'll be careful about who it is exactly that I kill." Oliver said with a dark undertone, causing shivers to run up and down his sister's spine, Thea having never seen that kind of expression on her brother before, and certainly not liking it one bit at all.

 _'Maybe I should try and get Felicity to talk to him. If anyone can get through to him then it is most certainly her.'_

 **Later that Night: At 22:00**

"Drinking on your own and then on top of that walking home on your own in this dangerous part of town? That's not something I'd recomend, Mr. Regan."Oliver said with his Green Arrow voice, a very deep, gruff, and menacing version of his voice that was honestly enough to give any sane person the urge to run for their life.

He was wearing his standard, long sleeved green arrow outfit, except this time it had one modification made on it, that being the the menacing facemask that Al Sah Him used to wear. The reason for this modification was symbolic in nature, as Oliver had come to accept himself whole heartedly instead of trying to constantly fight against his natural insticts, meaning that he had accepted Al Sah Him, Lian Yu Oliver, Argus agent Oliver, and Bratva Oliver as important parts of the whole.

"Oh my God! G-green A-arrow...!" The man, now identified as Mr. Regan, stuttered nervously, the last thing he expected being to run across the Green Arrow of all people in a dark alley. He is a young man in his early twenties with black hair and dark eyes, with a moderate sized frame and straight facial features, wearing a black jacket along with blue jeans and black footwear, just a normal young man, or so it would seem.

"You seem surprised to see me, one Rory Regan, but why? Surely you didn't think you could go on a killing spree in my city and expect not to run into me at some point?" The Green Arrow asked with what appeared to be genuine curiosity.

"W-what? I...I don't know what you're talking about! You must have me confused with someone else!" Rory sputtered, unable to believe how terrified he was feeling right now, the only other time he ever felt this scared before being when his hometown was about to be hit by a nuclear missile.

"Do you have any idea how many times I've heard that line? You better start speaking the truth before I start shooting arrows Mr. Regan, otherwise I'm afraid you'll be joining the people of Havenrock very soon." The Green Arrow said menacingly, at this point Rory on the verge of having a panic attack, unable to believe that the one time he went out without his rags was the time that the Green Arrow would approach him.

"Okay! Okay! I'll talk! But you can't kill me, not until I get my revenge! You don't understand! I haven't killed any innocent people! The people I killed work for AmerTek, they are the same people who built and sold those nuclear weapons to Damian Darhk! They are the reason I no longer have a home!" Rory pleaded his case, hoping that, if anyone could understand his vigilante activities at all, then it would have to be the Green Arrow.

However, his hopes were dashed just a second later as the Green Arrow loaded up his bow and pointed his arrow at him, Rory's life flashing right before his very own eyes before relief, followed by confusion settled in as The Green Arrow pointed his bow upwards and towards the top of the adjacent building, The Green Arrow shooting an arrow that had a zip line attached to it, the retractable zip line pulling back the arrow once it hit its target and dragging back what appeared to be a duffel bag.

The bag was one that Rory recognised all too well, because after all, it was the bag that contained his mystical rags of Davarim. He just couldn't fathom how the Green Arrow had gotten his hands on it, or just how exactly his identity had been discovered.

"You really need to find a safer place to keep these rags Rory. Finding your place, and these rags was just way too easy. Although, it does seem like the rags can't be worn just by anyone, because I literally got my ass whipped when I tried to put them on, and I mean literally, a tendril just shot out of these things and tried to whip the stuffing out of me." The Green Arrow said as he pulled the rags out of the duffel bag.

"Ummm...yes well, I am bonded to them, there's like a mystical connection between me and the rags, so I guess I'm the only one who can use them." Rory retorted.

"I see..." Green Arrow trailed off as he threw the rags at the un-asuming Rory Regan, the most amazing, weird, and terrifying thing happening, the rags seemingly taking on a life of their own as they viciously attacked Rory, except they weren't really attacking him but rather were wrapping themselves around him and bonding themselves to him, a process that started and concluded in a matter of seconds.

 **"I take it this means that you no longer have the intention to dispose of me?"** Rory asked rhetorically.

 _'He seems far more confident and intimidating, and I don't think it's entirely by force of will. The rags seem to alter not only his voice and appearance, but also his personality, making him more confident and agressive in his combat prowess. How interesting...I wouldn't be surprised if the rags even make it an easier decision for him to take a life when neccessary.'_ Oliver thought analytically.

 _'Still, I'd like to see just what he can do before I decide to take him in...'_ Oliver thought just before he answered Rory's question.

"No, I have no intention of killing you...not anymore. I do however have a proposition for you, but that all depends on how well you do in your audition."

 **"Audition...?"** Rory trailed off as the Green Arrow inexplicably shot six arrows almost at the same time, Rory, despite having no combat training whatsoever, instinctively realising that no normal person or trained assassin for that matter should have been capable of producing such an amazing feat unless he had some sort of super human abilities, more specifically, super human reflexes, agility, power, and speed.

Still, Rory, with his rags on, was the furtherst thing away from normal himself, and therefore, despite the ridiculous speed at which the arrows were travelling, he was able to catch all of them with his rag tendrils. However, as he was about to ask if that was all the famed Green Arrow could produce, he was suddenly blasted away by the explosive devices attached just behind the tips of all of the arrows that were shot at him, sending him flying away uncontrollably, although the rags were able to protect him from the blast force and he was soon able to regain his footing thanks to the rag tendrils stopping his momentum.

 **"That was very sneaky of you Green Arrow. I thought you said you weren't trying to kill me anymore?"** Rory asked angrily.

"Your rags helped you to survive a nuclear blast, so there is no way a little C2 was going to be enough to kill you." The green arrow retorted.

 **"You know you're going to have to tell me how you know so much about me sooner or later."**

"I know, and I will tell you everything, including my real identity as soon as you agree to join my team." Oliver said dramatically.

 **"W-what...?"** Ragman stuttered uncharacteristically.

"You don't seem to need much help when you're in this form, but you do overly rely on the sentience of those rags. I believe it would be wiser to put in some proper training with them and to test and discover all of their strengths, limits, and weaknesses. You may seem invincible now, but that is only until a bigger and badder guy comes around. It would be wise to be prepared for everything, and no warrior should go to battle without knowing all of his or her own strengths, weaknesses, limits, and trump cards..." The Green Arrow trailed off as he allowed that piece of information to sink in.

"Furthermore, you seem totally defenseless without your rags. You won't always be able to carry them with you wherever you go and you don't want to be left completely defenseless without them. So what I want to do is to train both Ragman and Rory Regan, Ragman to control his powers, and Rory to learn how to defend himself and maybe even protect others when the rags are not readily available. My former team is gone, The Black Canary passed away, Speedy and Spartan retired. There's only two of us left now, and the other one is not a field Agent. Star City can never replace Havenrock, and we can never replace your family that you lost, but life moves on and you have to find a new home and just maybe, in time, you and I can become brothers." The Green Arrow said with the utmost sincerity.

 **"You want me to fight crime with you? In Star City?"** A bewildered Ragman asked disbelievingly.

"Yes. I'll help you get justice for your home and your family whether you join us or not, but I could really use someone like you. There are many more dangerous people out there and fate has had it that you have the power to make a difference, to prevent the tragedy that happened to your home from happening to others. The nuclear missile that hit your home marked an ending to your home and your family, but for you it was a rebirth, you came out of it with a new inner strength and determination, and with new powers. You can't change the past, but you can decide how you live your life in the present, and how you live your life in the present can shape a better future for you and leave an honorable legacy behind for others to follow." Oliver said, pausing momentarily to give Ragman a chance to digest the info before carrying on where he left off.

"I didn't know your father, but my own father sacrificed himself so that I can live, and he told me with his dying breathe that he had high hopes for me, that he knew I would do great things with my life, and that I would honor him, myself, and my family name. He believed in me wholeheartedly. I'd like to think your dad felt the same way about you, which is why he gave the rags to you." The Green Arrow spoke from his heart words that totally changed Ragman's perspective on the event of his hometown's demise and his father's death.

"So what do you say? Will you join me?" The Green Arrow asked as he walked closer until he was just a foot away from the dangerous and terrifying Ragman, extending his hand out for a handshake with the hope that he had found a new person he could trust, one who fit his new criteria for a super hero to the latter.

 **"Is it even possible to say no after a speech like that?"** Ragman retorted as he shook the Green Arrow's hand.

"No, I don't suppose it is..."

 **One month later: 09:00pm at the Green Arrow Headquarters**

"So...I've been monitoring recent vigilante activities and I think I may have found some suitable candidates to add as new members to our team, especially since you've suspiciously been inactive over the last 30 days or so..." Felicity trailed off with an inviting undertone, as in, inviting Oliver to fill in the gaps regarding his whereabouts in the last month or so.

"And who are these potential recruits that you speak of?" Oliver asked curiously, completely ignoring, of course, Felicity's jab about his recent lack of activity.

"I guess I should have known better than to expect an explanation..." Felicity muttered under her breathe.

"Excuse me?"

"Umm...nothing! I was just thinking out loud. Anyway...first on the list, Rene Ramirez, or otherwise known as Wild Dog. He's been fighting a lot of crime in the shadier parts of Star City and quite honestly, he's very good all things considered..."

"No! Next..."

"W-what? Just like that? You haven't even..."

"On the contrary, I have vetted him out already. He was released from the army for blatant insubordination and recklessness, and he has a history of bad run ins with the cops. He has a short temper and just generally is not someone I would feel comfortable to have watching my back. Who else do you have on your list?" Oliver moved on without even waiting to hear Felicity's side of the story.

"Well, there's this guy that we both know and trust, a guy who has worked with us before, and has not revealed your identity..."

"If you're talking about Curtis then I have no problem with him working with us, as I have already made clear. Just not on the field. His strengths, despite his olympic medal, do not lie in operations but in the technical side of things. I'm willing to use my position as mayor to open opportunities for him in the business sector and get him the resources and funds that he needs in order to invent and develop weapons for us, and I'm willing to teach him basic self defense and counter offense in order for him to protect himself. But I'm not taking him into the field, end of story." Oliver retorted.

"Okay...that's good enough. I'm sure he'll have mixed feelings about it but it's a better deal than I expected really. I think he'll take a liking to it...eventually." Felicity stuttered, silence the only response she was able to evoke from Oliver.

"Well...anyway, there's this girl..."

"If you're talking about Evelyn Sharp then the answer is no. If she chooses to endanger herself everyday then it is her choice and there is nothing I can do about it, but I will not help her do it." Oliver retorted.

"Okay you know what! I'm sick of this! Laurel's death is not an excuse for you to turn into a selfish and self centred p...penis! History has already proven that you cannot do this alone Oliver! If you could then you never would have dragged me and John into this world and Laurel, Thea, and Roy also helped you to fight crime. When are you going to face the music and realise that you're no island! No one is! Not even you!" Felicity exclaimed furiously.

"Even if you're right, you don't get to decide when I recruit a new team, and you don't get to decide who it is exactly that I recruit. That is my choice and my choice alone. You can make recomendations yes, and you may assist where it is neccessary, but ultimately, I, The Green Arrow, make the final decision. Do we understand each other?" Oliver said with a calm and dangerous intensity in his eyes, in his facial expression, and in his tone, Felicity taking a beat as she hadn't seen Oliver act like this towards her since the time when he was Al Sah Him, a version of Oliver that terrified her to no end.

"Y-you do not get to talk down to me like that! I don't work for you..!"

"No one is holding you hostage Felicity. If you don't want to be here then you're free to leave. But if you're going to stay, then you're going to have to accept that there is a hierarchial order here, and you are not at the top of that food chain." Oliver delivered bluntly.

He knew that this may have come as a shock to Felicity, and he knew that she was probably hurting from not only the words that he had spoken to her but also because of the way that he had said them. However, he wasn't about to pussy out again, not like he had done so many times in the past. If a guy like Ragman could obey his orders without question, if a badass guy like that could respect him and obey his orders the way that he had shown to do over the last plus minus 30 days, then what gave Felicity and co the right to question and even overide his authority at times.

Also, badassery and combat abilities aside, when has listening to Felicity or any of his friends and family ever yielded any positive results for him or them for that matter, when has listening to them done anything good for the City? Because as he recalled, not killing Darhk sooner had led to Laurel's and thousands of other people's deaths, same goes for Malcolm. Also, stopping his asssinations of the bad guys had lead to those same guys escaping during the undertaking and killing many other innocent lives, lives that would have been saved had he just killed those bastards from the start.

So no, he was not about to recruit some pertulant and entitled kids that would rebel and undermine his authority at every turn, and he was also not gonna be responsible for shattering their illusions of what the real world was like. That was not his responsibility. His only responsibility as the Arrow was getting rid of the vermin in Star City, and his responsibility as Mayor Queen was inspiring the good people of Star City and creating a prosperous, safe, and healthy environment for them.

"I did not sign up to be dictated to!"

"Like I said, the door is open. But if you walk out of that door, then don't bother to come back. You either fall in line or step out. There is no middleground." Oliver said much to the utter shock and confusion of Felicity.

"Oliver what has happened to you?"

"This happened a long time ago Felicity. The only difference is that I am not running away from it anymore. If you're going to stay then you need to know that this is the kill or be killed business, and there's no room for doubt or insubordination in that kind of business. Otherwise tragedies like Laurel's death will continue..."

"Do not!...use Laurel as an excuse..."

"She's not an excuse! She is just confirmation of what I already knew, but was too naïve and cowardly to accept. This is the way things are gonna be! No more flip flopping, no more hypocrisy, and no more double standards. You have two days to think it over, in two days I want your response, and if you don't respond in that timeframe, then I will assume that you're out and act accordingly."

 **2 Hours Later: Undisclovsed Location.**

"So, this is it then? Everything works automatically? Just a couple more tattoes on my body and I can protect myself from time travellers now?" Oliver asked as he looked himself over on a mirror inside his home office.

"Just a couple of tattoes? Do you have any idea how much digging and hard work I had to do to first find these spells in the first place, and then to actually get the ingredients required to cast them?" A man, Oliver's guest, replied with a thick British accent. The man had blonde hair and blue eyes, was average of height, and had a relatively average beard in terms of size. He was wearing formal clothing in the form of black pants and shoes, a white long sleeved shirt without a tie and a brownish-beige trench coat.

"I honestly don't care how long it took or how hard you had to work. I paid you good money for it and we both know that it was neccessary. Besides, not all of us have a guardian angel actively watching over our destiny. You don't have to worry about time travel because your guardian angel protects your past from being altered. It's a little different for us normal people." Oliver retorted.

"Well I suppose you got a bit of point there mate." The man conceded with his hands raised in the air as if to surrender.

"..."

"Regardless...I'm really grateful to you John. Now I can really focus on my job without worrying about evil speedsters and time masters screwing my life over and by extention, screwing up everyone's life in Star City." Oliver said sincerely.

"Well as much as I appreciate the sentiment, I wouldn't thank me so soon if I was you mate. Remember that the spell doesn't exactly teleport you back in time in the same way that time masters and speedsters do. The spell only teleports your current consciousness into the body of your past self whenever your past self's life is endangered or is at risk of being severely affected by a time abbaration..."

"What!" Oliver said indignantly.

"That's not good enough! What if the past self that is in danger is a toddler, or what if I'm still a baby when the enemy targets me. How am I gonna protect myself if I'm just a baby!" Oliver exclaimed as he threw his hands in the air dramatically.

"Wow! Hold your horses mate! I made a few modifications to the spell ayt! Look, if your past self is five years or younger, you will be able to jump into the body of the closest member of your bloodline who is also above the age of five. That means your mother, father, uncles, aunts, and first cousins. Understandably your combat capacity will be limited accordingly, but your mind won't so at least you'll have a fighting chance." The man, now identified as John, replied with a bit of an arrogant smirk, clearly proud of himself and his enginuity when it comes to magic.

"Okay, I suppose it's better than nothing. Though I am curious, what happens to my past self and/or relative when my consciousness returns to the present?" Oliver asked curiously.

"They won't remember a thing about what happened while you inhabited their body, it will be like they had a blackout of some sort. However, it is important that you leave no evidence of the activities that you were involved in while inhabiting the body, no soveniers and certainly no secret messages for them to find, otherwise you could end up becoming your own enemy as far as protecting your timeline." John explained patiently.

"I understand. I won't make the same mistakes as Barry did. I understand now that no matter how much good you think you're doing, changing the past always makes things worse." Oliver retorted.

"Well alright then mate. John Constantine is a busy man, you know, demons, fallen angels, monsters and evil wizards to stop from destroying the very fabric of our reality. This is good bye for now my friend." John said as he chanted a spell that literally opened a teleportation portal inside Oliver's home office, Oliver wondering to himself if he should try and study magic as soon as he got a chance, silently wishing that he turns out to have quite a bit of a gift for the dark arts.

 **Six Months Later:**

"Ummm...Oliver sir..." Curtis trailed off hesitantly, Rory casting a sideways glance at the hesitance in his teammate's tone, not that it was anything new mind you, because he would freely admit that even he was terrified of Oliver, all the time. It was just that there was a little bit...okay a lot more hesitance and fear in Curtis's tone than usual, which meant that he was probably about to suggest or ask something that he thought would piss Oliver off.

Curtis himself had improved quite a lot over the last six months since he started training with Oliver. What was surprising was how much time, effort, and dedication Oliver had put into both of their training, to the point that he'd even forced them to quit their jobs for the last six months and hadn't allowed them to leave the training room in the new and state of the art bunker except to go to their rooms to sleep or to go to the toilet and the kitchen.

Their training had been harsh and unforgiving, and they had felt things that they never thought that they would ever feel in their lives. The worst part was the torture training that Oliver had put them through to build their pain resistance and so that they would never betray their comrades under any circumstances. If someone could give steroids or super powers to special forces training, only then would they get the training that Oliver had put them through.

Oliver had a vast knowledge of medical and mystical herbs though, so that helped them advance a lot quicker than normal in their training because of the insane recovery time and energy they got from the herbs. They could therefore train for longer stretches of time than would be normally possible and the quality and intensity of the training helped them to maximise the results from their efforts.

Rory had wondered throughout their training what Oliver's plans for Curtis were given that he had made it clear that the only heroes that he was willing to go into the field with had to have some sort of special inhuman ability. Rory had his rags for missions and he had had to endure extra training sessions to master his rags, during which time Curtis had been cooked up in his private lab in the bunker. However, as recently as the two weeks ago, Curtis had finally revealed what he had been working on, six spheres in total that Curtis refers to as T-spheres.

The cyber-mechanical spheres were more than a little impressive Rory had to say, and they certainly elevated Mr Terrific from a 'normal' vigilante with special forces/assassination training to a real super heroe with powers. For one, the t-spheres were linked to a chip inside of Curtis's brain that had had to be impanted by Rory and Oliver with specific instructions by Curtis of the procedure, meaning that Curtis controlled the spheres with nothing but mental commands. The spheres were also hack proof because Curtis had imbued a mini AI into them that is constantly changing and evolving to counter against hacking.

The spheres had gyroscopic technology installed into them, enabling them to float and defy gravity with ease and had all manner of gimmicks installed into them, such as shooting electricity, fire, laser beams and even forming laser grids between the spheres, said laser grids used both to trap enemies and to protect Curtis from attacks. The gadjets also contained their own muti-functional data base, including facial recognition amongst all manner of information. They also could scan and provide x-ray vision, heat signature sensing, etc etc and release explosive outward force, leaving the sphere itself undamaged after the explosion, and those were just a few of the things that Rory could remember about the T-spheres. One thing was for certain now though, and that was that Curtis was more than qualified to join the Green Arrow's team of super heroes.

"Yes what is it Curtis?" Oliver asked curiously.

"Ummm...so...I mean, are we actually heroes now or what? I mean, Prometheus has been terrorizing the City for months and there is this new guy Vigilante that has been around for two weeks and you've done nothing about it. I don't even want to talk about the damage that Tobias Church has done. Are we just going to let Star City go to the dogs?" Curtis asked, gaining more and more confidence as he spoke, and more anger and irritation too as he couldn't understand what the hell the boss was thinking, Rory bracing himself for a brawl that Curtis would no doubt lose to break out.

"Of course we're not just going to let things slide like that Curtis. What you think I've just been sitting on my ass the whole time?"

"Well...it kinda looks like it." Curtis replied much to Oliver's chagrin, Oliver fixing Curtis with one of his death stares.

"..."

"W-what I mean to say is...I just don't know what's on your mind right now." Curtis corrected himself hastily.

"Over the last two days I've been deliberating over the results of your training, both of you, and I've also thought about all the simulations we've done with your T-spheres and the sparring I've done with both you and Ragman at full strength..."

"Yes and...?" Curtis asked anxiously.

"Well, I honestly think that at this point, you're both ready to go out into the field with me. In fact, at your current level, I'm sure there are some missions that the two of you can pull off on your own, without my assistance and leadership. Our teamwork drills have been fantastic as well, the chemistry is really good. So I think it's time for us to sweep up this whole mess." Oliver said words of praise that made both Rory and Curtis wonder if this was either a dream or some sick, twisted prank, because there was no way Oliver would say such deep and sincere words of praise to them...right?

"Ummm...who are you and what have you done with the real Oliver Queen?" Curtis retorted, eliciting another death stare from his leader and master.

"S...sorry..." Curtis muttered nervously.

"Ahem! Contrary to what Curtis may think, this whole time I've been conducting my own private investigations into Tobias Church, Vigilante, and Prometheus, and I've come up with a number of actions and ommissions we can make to resolve these issues." Oliver said with a serious tone.

"Wait a minute. What do you mean by _omissions_?" Rory asked curiously.

"What I mean is that I don't think we should do anything about Prometheus for the time being..."

"What!" Both Rory and Curtis exclaimed indignantly.

"I understand your shock, but I have solid evidence that none of these people that he has killed are the good samaritans that you and the rest of Star City think that they are. If you knew the truth about them, then you wouldn't feel sorry for them. Trust me." Oliver said with a grave undertone.

"In fact, you would probably kill them yourself." Oliver added darkly.

"I...I don't understand..."

"The people Prometheus is killing are in this little book right here, a hit list that was given to me by my father before he shot himself in the head right in front of me. Before he shot himself, he explained that this list was the reason our ship was sabotaged and that these people, himself included, and as much as it pains me to say, my mom included, were the filth that are responsible for the suffering of millions of Star City citizens. When I returned from the Lian Yu, I did a full investigation into each and everyone of their backgrounds and once I knew the truth, I went on a crusade and started assassinating every single one of them...or was supposed to assassinate every single one of them."

"Wait a minute! I know some of these names...oh my God! You and the Hood are the same person?" Curtis thought out loud.

"Exactly. I was the one that assassinated all of those people. I stopped because certain people who were close to me convinced me that not killing the bad guys was the better way to go about things, which was all garbage of course in hindsight. The Hood's methods were efficient and ensured that the threat was permanently eliminated. Bad guys can be broken out of prison and they can still run their organisations even from behind bars. Cops and prison guards are corrupt and work hand in hand with the bad guys and even Judicial Officials can be bought, intimidated, and threatened. Some people are just too dangerous to be left alive." Oliver explained his reasoning.

"Okay I get all of that, but still, how did this Prometheus guy get this list to begin with?" Rory asked curiously.

"There are only two people who had copies of my list. One of them is dead and the other one is kind of immortal, and therefore unlikely to be dead. Also, she was also one of my mentors and taught me how to fight and to shoot arrows. She also wore a hood just like me and Prometheus." Oliver explained.

"So you think that Prometheus is another student of hers. Does that mean he is continuing the work that you were doing? Maybe he's an admirer of his sibling student."

"Or maybe he is trying to draw me out. Your scenerio is not impossible, but is less likely than the latter. My gut tells me that this is some sort of challenge to me, or he is sending some kind of message. Whatever game he is playing, I have resisted to engage so far, partly because I refuse to be manipulated but also because, well, he's kind of doing me a favor." Oliver retorted.

"I see...well, you've been training us this whole time to assassinate the bad guys so if this guy is doing the job for us, without innocent people getting caught in the crossfire, then oh well." Curtis shrugged nonchalantly, a reaction that was to the contrary to how Curtis would have viewed this whole situation before he was subjected to Oliver's training/conditioning.

"The longer I ignore him the greater the lengths he will go to get my attention. So we're gonna have to deal with him sooner or later. But for now I want us to focus on Tobias Church, in fact, I want the two of you to focus on Tobias Church while I go and deal with Vigilante." Oliver said authoratively.

"But what about Armetek? You promised to help me get rid of the scum that sold nukes to Damian Darhk."

"Yes but those same pieces of scum have traded Damian Darhk for Tobias Church, hence the reason why we have to deal with Tobias first. Once Tobias is taken care off, we will eliminate the Armetek CEO and Vice Chancellor, and then I will use the instability that follows and the massive drops in stocks to assimilate Armetek into Queen Tech Consolidated." Oliver explained thoroughly.

There had been an initial outcry when Oliver had bought back Palmer Tech six months ago, many accusing him of using state/city resources to fund his own personal ambitions. However, Oliver had explained that his father had left him a number of offshore accounts with Billions of Dollars in them in case something happened to Queen Consolidated, so that Oliver would be able to rebuild his life. Of course that was a total lie as Ra's Al Ghul had given him access to those accounts as Oliver was meant to be his adopted heir, and only Oliver knew about them and how to access them. Not even his trusted team knew about the true origins of the accounts and both of them still thought that Oliver got his super human abilities because he was a meta-human.

The media, in particular, Susan Williams, had driven a campaign against Oliver, or tried to as they insinuated that Oliver was power hungry and wanted to use his office to make laws and get access to information that would benefit his company. Much to their surprise, Oliver had embraced the power hungry angle and explained that he wanted the power of being mayor so that he can make Star City a better place through politics, law, and public policy, and that he wanted the power of owning a multi billion dollar company in order to make Star City a better place through private policy, job creation, and charity.

Needless to say the populace was mightily impressed with Mayor Handsome's noble cause and more importantly, his honesty, intergrity, and transparency, and Susan Williams's hate for Oliver seemed to have tripled over that time, much to Oliver's dismay as he didn't understand what the hell was the woman's problem with him. Thea had theorised that the woman wanted to get his attention no matter how she went about doing it, that or she was serving the agenda of one of Oliver's competitors. She also said it was possible that Susan Williams was trying to use him to make a name for herself. Either way, Oliver was going to have to deal with her sooner or later.

"Wow...! That's such a cool idea. We could totally use those Armetek resources to develop better weapons technology for us to use on the field."

"And we can ensure that shady people like Church and Darhk don't get access to that kind of weapons technology anymore." Oliver added onto what Curtis said.

"Okay, it sounds like a very good plan. So where do we start?" Rory asked curiously.

"We start by sending the two of you to a number of different cities. In this drive is pinpoint accurate information about all of Tobias Church's agents in three cities where Tobias Church's men operate." Oliver said as he handed a flash drive over to Curtis.

"I have also detailed a plan A, B, and C, and instructions for actions you should take should a number of different scenarios play out. There's a set of plans and instructions for each city that you will work in. I have also listed the cities from 1 to 3, with Detroit being number 3. Detroit is Church's stronghold, and it will be the last city you invade. His best men are there and he has the largest number of resources there. However, I have a superheroe friend who lives there. She has super powers too and she is good at what she does. I've already talked to her and she will be awaiting the two of you to make contact with her once you're done with the other two cities." Oliver explained, taking a short breathe before continuing where he left off.

"You will share your intel with her and, as it is her city and she therefore knows it better than any of us, you will let her take point in the mission. You will slaughter every single individual in Church's organisation and that will leave Church with only the manpower and resources that he has in Star City. You will then return here and we will finish the job together." Oliver instructed authoratively.

"Y-you're not coming with us?" Curtis asked with a little bit of fear in his tone.

"No. I'm the mayor, so I can't just leave. Plus, you've been personally trained by me on top of the fact that you're a genius with powerful technology and Rory has the power of the Rags of Davarim. You're gonna succeed in your mission, of that I have not even a shadow of doubt in my mind." Oliver said sincerely, evoking a determination and passion in his students that was as solid as steel, as hearing those kind of words from their master, with that kind of belief and sincerity in them, was like getting a new super power altogether.

"We won't fail you sir!" Rory said with an edge to his tone.

"I know." Oliver said as he got up and prepared to leave.

"Where are you going?" Curtis asked anxiously, unable to understand Oliver's sudden departure.

"It's late, and I got an early council meeting tommorrow morning. You guys have all the info you need in that drive, and you can take anything you want from the bunker before you depart. You have one day to prepare, and then I want you gone. Not that you'll need it with the kind of skill that you have, but goodluck." Oliver said as he turned and walked away.

 **Three Days Later:**

"Mr Mayor, you have a visitor, it's the devil's spawn Susan Williams. I can get rid of her if you like Ollie, and no, I'm not talking about killing her...unless you want me to."

"Absolutely not Thea. She doesn't fit the profile, and if she did, I'd do it myself." Oliver retorted.

"Yeah I'm not so sure about that given how inactive you've been in the last six months give or take."

"I have my reasons for that. Everything will become clear soon enough. You'll see." Oliver said with steel in his eyes, Thea, seeing the look in his eyes realising immediately that Oliver had something big planned for the Green Arrow and she certainly did not want to know about it otherwise she wouldn't be able to stop stressing about it.

"Okay, I believe you." Thea withdrawed.

"..."

"Ahem. So anyway, what does Ms Williams want with me?" Oliver asked curiously.

"She says that she has stumbled onto a big scoup involving you and she umm...wanted to give you a chance to defend yourself before she goes public with it." Thea said, causing Oliver's blue eyes to darken considerably at those news.

"Like I said, I can kill her for you if you..."

"No. Let her in, I'm curious to hear what exactly she thinks she has on me." Oliver said with a sinister glint in his eyes, a small smirk plastered on his facial features.

"Okay you've officially reached your freak your baby sister out quota for the day, so I'm gonna get out of here. If you happen to end up killing the witch accidentally just call me and I'll clean the whole mess u..."

"Thea!"Oliver said with a stern tone of voice.

"Okay okay geez loosen up a bit." Thea laughed as she exited the office, Oliver shaking his head dismally at his sister's actics, Oliver only having a few seconds to compose himself as Thea ushered in the woman that has been the bane of Oliver's mayoral existence thus far.

"Good morning Mayor Queen."

"Good morning Ms Williams." Oliver greeted politely, internally noting for the first time just how beautiful this woman actually was, perhaps unable to notice before because of how much he loathed her, and also because he hadn't seen her up close before.

"I umm...I'm not going to ask how you are doing as I can see judging by the look on your face that my presence in your office is...not appreciated, and I'm also sure that even if you were okay, that you won't be after you hear what I have to say to you." Susan started off with an arrogant smirk smacked onto her facial features, a glint of mischief dancing in her eyes as if she was enjoying this perceived position of power that she seemed to think she had over him, Oliver just calmly watching her body language and analysing her tone of voice, gathering all the information he could from the limited resources that he had.

"I see. In that case please, sit down Ms Williams and tell me...well, everything and anything that you want to tell me." Oliver said with a poise and confidence that Susan was just dying to strip away from him.

"Okay, I know you're a busy man Mayor Queen, so I'll get straight to the point. I know that you're the Green Arrow and I've got near irrefutable proof of it. I also know that you lied about spending all five years that you were missing on an island because I have a picture of you in a Bratva meeting during the time that you were supposed to be stuck in some mysterious island. I only came here to give you notice that this is what will be on the front page news tommorrow morning, and of course, to give you a chance to defend yourself before I go public." Susan said with an accomplished and arrogant smile on her facial features, a smile that soon disappeared when Oliver broke into a fit of laughter right in front of her, making it that she was unsure whether she felt like the mayor had lost his mind, or that she had lost her mind because of what she said.

"You think this is funny?" Susan asked with a scowl on her face.

"Hehe! Oh no, I don't think it's funny at all. In fact I think it will be quite an interesting and compelling story. It will definitely get the people's attention, it will give you the attention and recognition that you've alway wanted and it will probably be the biggest story of the year, perhaps of the last five years." Oliver said with a predatory smile, Susan fidgeting uncomfortably in her chair as she couldn't read the Mayor at all, not knowing what the hell was on his mind or what on earth he had to smile about.

"You think I'm crazy? I've got a Bratva picture of you, and I have picture of The Arrow and witnesses confirming that the arrow was operating in Russia at the same time period that you were there. Isn't it a coincidence that the appearance of the Arrow in Star City coincides with your return to Star City."

"So you have pictures huh? Interesting. This really does sound like a good story. Now I really can't wait to read the whole article. No doubt it will be top quality as usual from you Ms Williams." Oliver said with a surprising amount of sincerity in his tone, at least as far as Susan was concerned.

"Okay...you're either totally crazy or incredibly stupid. Either way I don't think you realise the full implications of what's about to happen. Do you honestly think there will be a future for either of the Green Arrow or Mayor Handsome when that article hits the shelves tommorrow morning?"

"Is that what you want Susan? To destroy the image of the two people that are doing their best to protect and inspire the people of this City? Is that your true goal? To destroy the will and hope of this City? Is it why you've been writting all those horrible articles about me?" Oliver asked with a grave undertone.

"W-what? That's...Mayor Quee...that's not true! I'm just doing my job like any good journalist should do, and the people deserve to know the truth!" Susan argued vehemently.

"So you're just doing your job? No ulterior motive whatsoever? No secret agenda?" Oliver asked with one of his trademark death stares, Susan unable to fully contain the discomfort, fear, and intimidation she felt now that she only had a desk between her and Mayor Queen, quite certain that, despite her suspicions about him being the Green Arrow, that she had underestimated just how much respect this man's mere presence commanded out of the people around him.

"Of course not!" Susan replied indignantly.

"And you're not serving the agenda of any of my competitors and/or the criminals of Star City who have no doubt been unable to prosper since my appointment?" Oliver asked again.

"No...!" Susan said with disgust audible in her tone and visble in her facial expression.

"In that case..." Oliver trailed off as he left his chair and walked around the desk towards Susan, who, still seated, had a panicked look on her facial features, thoughts about Oliver's bratva conncections permeating her mind as she wondered if he would have some of his gangster buddies pay her a visit now that she was so close to exposing him, or if he would try to silence her himself.

"I'll have you know that I've already set it up that this information gets released if you have me killed or have me disappear between now and tommorrow morning." Susan said hastily, Oliver, even though surprised by the words coming out of her mouth, unable to help but to admire her for her courage and derermination.

"I wish you all the best of luck Ms Williams." Oliver said finally.

"That is what I was going to say before apologising for cutting off our meeting prematurely. I have a press conference to attend in five minutes right outside. You can choose to leave or you can accompany me downstairs." Oliver added much to Susan's shock.

"You're being uncharacteristically nice to me, if you think that will be enough to dissuade me..."

"I wouldn't dream of it. I'm looking forward to the release of your article just as much as you are. Trust me." Oliver said with a mischievious glint in his eyes, Susan for the life of her unable to decipher what kind of cryptic game the mayor was playing.

"Inviting me to accompany you for an important press conference, what's next? You're going to ask me out on a date?" Susan retorted as she rolled her eyes at the mayor.

"Well, since you asked, Friday 7pm sounds just about fine with me. What about you? Will you be available?"

"W-wha...hey I wasn't ask...I...fine! But I'm still releasing that article tommorrow morning!" Susan stammered, a red hue spreading across her facial features as her heart rate accelerated.

 _'Oh my God Thea was right. She totally has a thing for me.'_ Oliver thought with surprise, though he did well not to show it, besides, even though he hadn't expected her to agree to go on a date with him, he couldn't deny that he too had discovered a new found respect and admiration for her, and if he really thought about it, this woman was definitely his type considering who his ex girlfriends were and even who his wife was.

"I wouldn't have it any other way Ms Williams."

 **Four hours later: Mayor Queen's Office**

"Are you sure you should be hanging around my office so much? People might start to think that there's something going on between the two of us." Oliver said with a playful tone, Susan unable to resist rolling her eyes at Oliver's witty remark, not really sure right now whether she hated him, admired him, or if she was starting to fall for him.

The reason for this dilemma...well, if she were honest with herself, she would admit that she had been having this dilemma for quite some time now, long before she met him in person, and long before he asked her out on a date. However, the nail on the coffin was what transpired in the press conference that theyjust came from, a press conference that she had been present in, but had ended up on the other side of the fence as she had been seen accompanying Mayor Queen for some reason that nobody except she and Oliver knew, and no doubt speculation would be all over the media soon enough.

That wasn't an issue however as she and Oliver were not an item yet and there was no guarantee that things would progress that far, so she still had every intention of exposing him for the Bratva thug and Vigilante that he was, as per her professional duty. That all went out of the window though as soon as the Green Arrow joined Mayor Queen at the press conference, the Green Arrow making a grand entrance as he zip arrowed his way into the press conference, standing right next to Mayor Queen as Mayor Queen acknowledged and congratulated him for his efforts in the past to protect and save Star City, and also asked the Green Arrow to collaborate with the ACU (Anti Crime Unit) as they put their efforts together in stopping the infection that was Tobais Church and his men.

Naturally, there was a split in opinions regarding Mayor Queen's announcent, however, Oliver had been very quick to defuse the situation, or rather, as Susan acutely noted, to distract the people and the media from the issue, as he announced that he would be joining the Green Arrow, the ACU, and the SCPD on the front lines as they persued Tobais and his gang with a shoot on site order. Mayor Queen controversially labelled Church's gang as a terrorist syndicate due to the fact that they were persuading, intimidating, and forcing police officers, FBI, government officials, judicial officers, and private corporate powerhouses into working with and/or for them, thereby systematically taking over three cities already, with Star City being the fourth one on the agenda.

As a result, Mayor Queen controversially issued a state of martial law order for the next seven days and declared that in that period, they, they as an in him personally, along with the Green Arrow, ACU, and SCPD would be hunting down the 'terrorists' and eliminating them before they continue to infect Star City. Perhaps the most surprising announcement however, yes, even more surprising than everything else thus far, at least as far as Susan Williams was concerned, was the fact that Oliver had offered the Throwing Star Killer and Vigilante immunity deals.

There had naturally been an outrage at the announcement, however, Oliver had explained that the victims of the Throwing Star Killer were nowhere near as innocent as people believed and that they were in fact almost, if not just as bad as Tobais Church. He had explained that evidence that the ACU collected would be made available to the public soon enough in relation to said matter.

As far as Vigilante was concerned, Mayor Queen acknowledged that Vigilante was a criminal, and was guilty of the crimes of murder and malicious endangerment of innocent Star City citizens, as he had been willing to shoot through innocent people to get to the bad guys. However Oliver, to justify his decision, emphasized that the United States Government offers immunity deals all the time to criminals in exchange for information and court testimony, but that instead of information/testifying in court, the exchange with Vigilante would be that Vigilante help them take down Tobais Church and his men, that he does it without killing or endangering innocent people, and that he never intentionally or negligently kills innocent people again. According to Oliver, Vigilante had 24 hours to meet with him and accept the deal, failure of which to accept the deal in that time frame or to break the terms of the agreement after acceptance would result in a manhunt with shoot on site order issued against him.

"We both know that that is the least of my problems right now, and don't think I'm not going to broadcast that article tommorrow just because you're not the Green Arrow. In fact, I'm now more certain than ever that there is a connection between the two of you, and I still have proof that you were not in that island for five years and that you were a member of the Bratva." Susan retorted with a little bit of spite in her tone.

"I have no problem with you doing your job Susan, but like I said, as long as it is not a personal vendetta. I wasn't being sarcastic or trying to come off as condescending when I said that I admire your work ethic, determination, will, talent, and tenacity. I find you very attractive, both in personality and in physical appearance. You may release that article tommorrow morning, but when the war of words and evidence begins...don't expect me to pull any of my punches." Oliver trailed off with a grave undertone, again Susan having to remind herself that she was dealing with a lion, and that the bite of a lion is more often than not fatal, hell, even just a claw from a lion could most likely have fatal consequences.

"I seriously hope that those are metaphorical punches that you're talking about." Susan wiitingly retorted, although Oliver could clearly see the fear and concern that she was trying so hard to supress.

"Of course I'm being metephorical. Susan, I don't hurt innocent people."

"But you hurt...bad people, just like the Green Arrow?"

"W-what...Ms Williams, I really do hope this is not going to be the nature of our conversation on friday night, or everytime you and I get together."

"Wow hold your horses there big guy. Everytime we get together? We haven't even had our first date yet" Susan said with mock indignity, Oliver holding his hands up in the air in surrender.

"Okay...you're right. Maybe I got a little too carried away." Oliver surrender as Thea barged into the office.

"Ollie...ummm...Mr Mayor sir." Thea quickly corrected herself when she saw that he had company, her entire aura darkening when she realised who was in her brother's office.

"Sir if she is bothering you I can get rid of her before you can say the words..."

"It's okay Thea. That won't be neccessary. More importantly, am I correct in assuming that the reason you broke in here is because everyone is already in position?" Oliver asked curiously.

"Yes sir. It's about to go down. Everyone is awaiting your orders, after all, you called for a state of Martial Law, that means that you get to overule both the District Attorney and the SCPD captain as Supreme Commander. This is your mission sir." Thea replied professionally, Susan scrunching up her otherwise flawless facial features as she tried to figure out what the hell was going on.

"Tell everyone to proceed as previously instructed. Captain Pike is the man in charge until the end of the mission, after which he will compile and present a full mission report. Also, tell District Attorney Chase to meet me in my office asap." Oliver ordered authoratively.

"Roger that Supreme Commander sir!" Thea saluted theotrically, causing Oliver to roll his eyes at her antics as she quickly excused herself, Susan immediately bombarding him with a ton of questions as the she couldn't stand the suspense anymore.

"If you must know, the ACU conducted an internal investigation of all Star City government sectors, including the judiciary and the SCPD itself. Now some of this evidence, under normal circumstances, would be inadmissible. However..."

"Certain rights and priviledges can be limited or even withheld during a state of Martial Law." Susan said with realisation, her eyes widening considerably, unable to believe how devious and...and brilliant the man in front of her was turning out to be.

"Exactly. In that respect, and only in that respect, one could say that Tobais Church's invasion has been a blessing in disguise, as it has allowed us the opportunity to not just make a statement to future would be invaders and criminals, but also to correct some of our own internal problems. Also, getting rid of this infestation will make it near impossible for Church to predict our future movements, because now he no longer has any spies to leak information to him from within the system." Oliver explained concisely.

"Can I quote you on any of this stuff?" Susan asked with barely contained excitement.

"Certainly, but only if you agree to only release this information not a second earlier than tommorrow's press release is due." Oliver replied with mental smirk, knowing damn well that this would mean that Susan would no longer be releasing an article about his Bratva thug history or his connections to the Green Arrow, well, at least not tommorrow.

"Of course! That would jeaopardise the mission if I released it now. Despite what you may think of me, I'm not trying to destroy Star City, and I'm not serving anyone's agenda." Susan said defensively, Oliver supressing a sigh of relief when he realised that she hadn't seen through his manipulation, at least not yet, and hopefully never.

"I know. Otherwise I wouldn't have told you this information. In any case, and this is off the record, the Green Arrow has informed me that his apprentices, the ones who you might have heard on the national news channel have systematically destroyed Church's stranglehold and connection in all three of his cities, including Detroit, with the help of the super heroine known as Vixen, will be returning to Star City very soon. Therefore, we hope to have eradicated Tobais Church and his scoundrels by the end of tommorrow. Hopefully The Throwing Star Killer and Vigilante will be a part of the team by then." Oliver explained to what was not so long ago been his arch nemesis as Star City Mayor, and arguably still was.

"Oliv...ummm...Mayor Queen are you sure that it will be such a good idea to involve those two?" Susan asked warily, internally cursing herself for that slip of the toungue, as she didn't want Oliver to think that she was starting to warm up to him, which of course, is exactly what was happening.

"It's a gamble yes, but I'd much rather not waste their obvious talents and skill. I believe they could prove to be valuable assets to the City, and more importantly, to the good people of Star City. I'm giving them a chance to be just that, but if they betray the people..." Oliver trailed off, and there it was, that terrible, infinite, and suffocating darkness that Susan kept getting a glimpse of, a mere glimpse alone almost enough to make her want to run with her tail between her legs, to run as far away as possible from this monster of a man, and yet, at the same time, there was that light, that bright light that was embodied by his principles, his work ethic, and selfless dedication when it came to the welfare and prosperity of his people, that protective warmnth that made her just want to jump into his arms and be wrapped up in that warm blanket of love, comfort, and protectiveness.

Susan was about to ask some more questions when, again, her alone time with Mayor Queen was interupted, this time by a knock on the door, a knock that Oliver recognised all too well, as it belonged to District Attorney Chase, the man who Oliver believed to be the true face of Prometheus, unable to believe how long the guy had conned him, and begrudgingly unable to hold back the respect he had for the man's skill and talents for having been able to get so close to him without him noticing until recently.

Oliver had known of course, for a while now, that the man was trained by his former mentor Talia, he knew that without question. He had also known that the guy's real name was Simon Morrison, but had found out that Simon Morrison had erased all traces of his existence, which meant that he had taken on a fake identity. Finding the fake identity had proved to be extremely difficult, and borderline impossible, but yet again, Oliver had to grudgingly acknowledge that the Tobais Church mess had proved to be more useful than he ever could have imagined as it was the reason Oliver had been hell bent on ridding all government sectors of corrupt officials, and in doing so, had dug up, with the help of the ACU and in secret, his tech genius Mr. Terrific, everything there was to know about every agent in the Star City government and public service hierarchy, including the District Attorney himself.

Other than a number of random inconsistencies, there had been nothing that really jumped out about Adrian Chase's life, not if you didn't know what you were looking for, which is why the ACU had cleared him of all suspicion. However, Oliver, because of who he was and what he knew, was able to conclude that there was a 75 percent chance that Adrian Chase was the man he was looking for, and that even if he was wrong, that Adrian was someone he needed to be wary of, which is why he was planning to keep him as close as possible to him from now on.

"Come in!" Oliver called out, Adrian walking in with a stern and serious facial expression.

"You called for me sir?" Adrian asked curiously, giving Susan a very distrustful glance before facing the big man himself.

"Yes I did. There will be a huge shake up going on in Star City over the next...approximately three hours, maybe more, due to a mission being undertaken by the ACU and the SCPD, under the delegated command of Captain Pike. Until the mission is over, you and I are gonna sit here, where it's nice and safe, and play chess together." Oliver said as he pulled out a chess set piece, images flashing in both his and Adrian's mind of all the times Talia forced them to play chess with her, beating into them, literally, that a game of chess was the best way to measure the vessel of a man...or woman.

"You want to play chess...right now?" Adrian asked with a tone and expression that was a combination of confusing and perplexity.

"I'll have you know that I happen to be a brilliant chess player. Besides, there is no need to worry about the mission. Captain Pike is more than capable of handling everything, and I've asked the Green Arrow to keep an eye on things. Everything will be fine." Oliver said reassuringly, causing Adrian to narrow his eyes slightly, starting to get a chilling vibe from the mayor, a vibe that he very much did not like one bit.

To say he was worried and confused right now would probably amount to the biggest understatement in existence. For one thing, the Green Arrow showing up, and standing right next to him and Oliver during earlier's press conference was the most confusing and frustrating scenario he could ever remember being involved in. Up until recently, he had been one hundred percent sure that the Green Arrow and Mayor Queen were one and the same person. You could have woken him up at three in the morning and he would have told you without a shadow of doubt that he knew the secret identity of the Green Arrow.

But now? Now he had no idea what to think. There had been no doubt in his mind that he was standing next to Oliver Queen at the press conference, but there had also been no doubt in his mind that the man in the Hood, who was also standing not too far away from him, was the real Green Arrow. But unless Oliver had figured out a way to clone himself, then it didn't make sense whatsoever, and not being able to make sense of a situation meant that you didn't have any power or control over the situation, and Adrian Chase did not like that very much. In fact, there was nothing he loathed more than powerlessness.

He hated asking for help from anyone, but he knew that he would have to go and see his mentor and get her to clarify everything for him. He absolutely could not continue to operate like this, and although he would never admit it, even to himself, he was quite honestly terrified right now because he didn't know what the hell was coming. What made matters worse was that Oliver had offered him, well, Prometheus, which was him, an immunity deal as long as he 'continued' to 'protect' the city from the monsters and the filth that were destroying Star City.

There was no doubt in his mind that Oliv...the Green Arrow at this point had already figured out that he was sending a message to him, a challenge even. In which case, did it mean that Oliver was trying to keep him in check, and perhaps even control him by making him that offer? And if Oliver really wasn't the Green Arrow, was it possible that Oliver got the idea from the Green Arrow? After all, if today's press conference was anything to go by, then it was safe to say that Oliver, even if it turned out that he wasn't the Green Arrow, certainly had some sort of connection to him, and at the very least, knew how to communicate with him and vice versa.

"With all due respect Mayor Queen sir, I don't have time for games right now. You declared war on Tobais Church, and that means that everyone in this office, along with their family, are potential target..." Adrian said only to be cut off mid sentence by the mayor.

"Don't worry about your wife, I personally organised for her to be taken into protective custody, along with Captain Pike's family and Deputy Mayor Lance's ex wife. If I and my generals are going to be fighting a war on the frontlines, then we're all going to need to be free of any emotional burdens, especially that of worry and fear for the lives of our loved ones." Oliver declared with an all too innocent smile, Adrian, once again, not liking the vibes he was getting from the whole situation, and definitely not liking that Oliver/Green Arrow had now not only removed the control that Adrian had worked so hard to have over him, but had taken things further by reversing the whole thing on Adrian, as Oliver had now taken control over Adrian's life.

 _'This is a kidnapping...a legal kidnapping of my wife...no, he doesn't know that I am Prometheus, he couldn't possibly.'_ Adrian argued with himself, this time not even going to try and deny to himself that he was terrified and needed to go to his mentor to get advice, maybe even more than that. Maybe he would need to get her directly involved as well, after all, this was as much her crusade as it was his.

"Adrian...Adrian!" Oliver said loudly, snapping the District Attorney out of his diabolical musings.

"Sir...?" Adrian asked with a fake innocence in his tone and facial expression.

"You really need to relax. I only just recently made the State Of Martial Law announcement, Church will need time to organise his men in order to retaliate. In the meantime, the ACU and SCPD are gathering every single spie/corrupt official as we speak, and I mean every single one of them. That means that Church won't have any inside information when we go after him tommorrow. Add the fact that your wife is in a safe and secure location with adequate protection, you have to realise that there is no need to be this worried. Everything is going according to plan." Oliver said with a little bit of exasperation, Adrian visibly relaxing on the outside whilst a storm was brewing on the inside as he wondered whether he was one of the breaches that were about to be collected by the ACU and SCPD.

 **End Chapter**

 **Title of Chapter 2: Gift or Abomination**

 **Preview:**

 **End of Tobais Church**

 **Talia's plan**

 **The Hero Society Of Star City**

 **Conflict in Central City**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Arrow or any other series I might use for inspiration.

 _ **A Gift or an Abomination?**_

 _ **To: Mayor Queen**_

 _ **Offer Accepted**_

 _ **Signed : Prometheus/Throwing Star Killer**_

This was the message Mayor Queen arrived to when he and his forces made their way to Tobais Church's main base of operations. He'd come here, along with Vigilante, who had paid him a visit the previous night in order to accept the terms of Oliver's proposal, the Green Arrow, Mr Terrific and Ragman, who'd returned the previous night from their mission in Detroit, along with the ACU and SCPD.

They had come here to do as Oliver promised to the masses, to collect and deliver Tobais Church's head, and to decimate and annihilate his whole organisation. However, when they arrived, expecting at least a little bit of resistence, they had only arrived to a scene of nothing but guts and gore, literally, as everyone they found either was full of bullet holes and/or arrows, or was hacked and sliced up by way of the sword.

It took only a glance for Oliver to recognise Prometheus's handiwork. 75 percent of the arrows clearly belonged to him, that was easy enough to tell. However, there was the question of who the bullets and the other arrows belonged to, which is what his crime scene expert in the ACU was trying to find out. Oliver however had already come to a conclusion about who the guy's partners were, he was just finding it hard to believe.

"Sir, it's a gonna take a bit of time to determine the identities of the Throwing Star...of Prometheus's accomplices. I'll need to consult our database..." The crime scene expert of the ACU, Sam Conahan, started to explain only to be cut off mid sentence by the Green Arrow, who was standing protectively right next to Mayor Queen.

"That won't be neccessary. I already know who his accomplices were. If you look carefully, you can tell that the bullet wounds came from a dual gun wielder, a gunslinger of sorts. Also, judging by the trajectory of the bullet holes both on their bodies and on the walls, I can determine his approximate height as well. I also pulled out a bullet from one of the corpses and Mr. Terrific and I were able to determine the type of gun that was used and that, along with the type of amo and everything else leads to one possible conclusion. One of Prometheus's accomplices was the amateur vigilante known as Wild Dog...although clearly he has improved a lot since last I saw him." The Green Arrow said matter of factly.

"Wild Dog? He hasn't been seen for a while. When was the last time he showed up? Like three months ago?" Deputy Mayor Quintin Lance said as he walked over towards where the mayor was consulting with the Green Arrow, a confused frown etched on his facial features, or maybe it was disgust at having to spend another second around this many mutilated corpses.

"It was exactly four months and three days ago since he was last active." The Green Arrow retorted.

 **"Hold on. Isn't that around about the same time that female vigilante, what's her name again...Artemis disapeared?"** Vigilante, who was standing on the other side of the mayor, that being the left hand side, asked with a curious tone, the voice modulator he was using making his voice loud enough and scary enough to startle almost everyone in close proximity, especially considering the fact that he hadn't said a word up until now.

"It is indeed. I'm guessing these other arrows belong to her too?" Mayor Queen asked, seeking confirmation from the Green Arrow as he directed the question specifically at him.

"Correct, for the same and similar reasons as the bullets belong to Wild Dog, Mr Terrific and I have concluded that she was the other accomplice." Green Arrow retorted.

"So...they disappear at the same time, are not seen for a number of months, and return some months later with better and improved skills, while working for or with Prometheus? Is it me or has Prometheus been on a recruiting mission? Clearly he must have been training them, which would explain why they were inactive up until now, right?" Mayor Queen asked rhetorically, Oliver unable to help but take note of the blatant similarities between he and Prometheus considering that six months ago he had also taken two young wannabe vigilantes under his wing.

"Definitely. He's trained them well too. Probably the reason for the rapid improvement is that they were already reasonably skilled already, and there was no doubt about their talent...and maybe he's not such a bad teacher either." Green Arrow said with a somewhat begruding tone at the end there.

"Okay okay enough about that. The real question is what are we actually going to do about **that**?" Quentin asked, pointing at the spectacle above them as, floating in the air, or rather, held up in the air by metal hooks that were shoved deep into his flesh, was an alive and breathing Tobais Church, presented by Prometheus as a gift to the mayor.

To say the atmosphere was tense would amount to a massive understatement, and Oliver knew exactly why everyone was feeling so tense. After all, what was done to Tobais, who had clearly been subjected to a lot of torture and pain before being hooked up like a pig at the slaughter house, was not an act of justice, but the sadistic conduct of a psychopath. This was Prometheus's way of indirectly spitting at Mayor Queen's immunity offer, and also, this was another level that Prometheus was adding to the game that he was playing.

Oliver promised Tobais Church's head, and promised that he wasn't going to be the kind of Mayor who sits behind a desk while his subordinates toil in the darkness of the trenches, thereby declaring to the masses that he would be actively and physically participating in the war. Therefore, by 'gift wrapping' Tobais Church like this for the mayor, Prometheus was trying to make sure that Oliver was the one who delivered the killing blow, the one who concluded the Throwing Star Killer's sadistic and psychopathic work. In a way, one could say that Prometheus was trying to ensure that Oliver became an accomplice to his evil deeds, and he wanted the whole of the ACU and SCPD to witness it.

The fact that Prometheus accepted the deal and completed the whole mission on his own was also another challenging issue. Oliver knew that he couldn't have the SCPD and ACU take full or even half the credit for this mission. He would have to announce that Prometheus took care of everything himself, because if he lied or withheld that information, then Prometheus would simply release it himself and make Oliver look like not only a liar, but as a fraud who takes credit for other people's achievements.

However, if he revealed the information to the public, Prometheus would be hailed as a hero and the people of Star City would begin to trust him, perhaps they might even view him in the same light as they view the Green Arrow. That he had an arrangement with the mayor would further place Prometheus on a higher pedestal, and there were a number of reasons why this would be very bad for Oliver, for the ACU, the SCPD, and Star City as a whole.

Oliver could see this scenerio playing out in one of three ways. One, Prometheus could continue to play the hero whilst trying to discredit and replace the Green Arrow, thereby taking away Oliver's purpose and importance in Star City, at least as far as vigilantism is concerned. Two, Prometheus could destroy Oliver's reputation and rapport with the people of Star City by committing heinous murders, as doing this after killing Tobais Church's men under Oliver's orders, and after having a public agreement with him, would make it seem like Oliver was condoning his psychopathic activities, was a psychopath himself, or was the idiot who trusted and/or tried to use a psychopathic to administer justice.

Finally, option three, and most likely, was that Prometheus would do all of the above, to destroy both the Green Arrow and Mayor Queen, leaving Oliver with nothing to live for as a disgraced outcast, or even worse, as a disgraced inmate. The guy was playing the long con, and a very good one at that too. Oliver usually looked at his past with a heart full of pain and regret, but for once, he was grateful for each and every hardship and challenge that he'd had to go through in order to get to where he was now, because everything he went through was the reason he was confident that he could win this game, because otherwise, had he not had all of those experiences, he would have been a sheep at the slaughter house, a helpless victim, there for Prometheus's taking.

"There's only one thing we can do..." Oliver trailed off with a dark undertone.

"Oh yeah? And what the hell is that? Because if it's that obvious then why the hell do I not have a clue?" Quintin asked with a combination of frustration and exasperation.

"To put him out of his misery of course." Oliver said darkly, reaching into his weapon's arsenal, an absolute resolution permeable in his eyes and audible in his tone, the atmosphere intensifying that much more as everyone's eyes were now firmly fixed on the mayor and the people in his vicinity, but more especially on the mayor. Tobais Church on the other hand was fish eyed as he tried to painfully wriggle his way out of the situation. Shouting and screaming for mercy without any success as Prometheus had made sure to gag him before hooking him up, the panic and fear in his eyes enough for anyone to guess what he was probably saying.

The intensity of the atmosphere and the trance-like state of everyone, along with the fear and panic in Church's eyes was abruptly broken as Vigilante spontaneously opened fire on the notorious criminal, shooting more than enough rounds to kill at least a dozen people, riddling the big guy's body full of bullet holes.

"..."

 **"Mission Accomplished."** Vigilante said, effectively breaking the shock induced silence that he had just created, if fazed at all, not showing the slightest hint of it.

"Son of a bitch! You almost gave me a heart attack! And who gave you the order to shoot anyway?" Quintin Lance exclaimed angrily.

 **"No order was neccessary. I don't work for the Mayors Office, the Green Arrow, the ACU, or the SCPD. The immunity deal stipulated that I was to work 'with' all those parties, not for them."** Vigilante retorted as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"He's right Deputy Mayor Lance. It is an arrangement that is meant to be to the benefit of both him and us. It affords him certain freedoms and liberties that we do not and cannot have but also absolves us of responsibility and accountability for his actions should he step out of line or go rogue." Oliver explained, effectively pacifying any potential conflict between Vigilante and Deputy Mayor Lance, which was good because everyone kind of knew who would win if a fight broke out between the two.

"Son of a bitch...!" Quintin muttered, unable to resist the use of what was starting to appear to be his favorite profanity.

 _'Besides, Vigilante's intervention is much appreciated. Prometheus wanted me to either kill Tobais myself, or order someone to do it for me. The fact that neither of those scenarios played out is a victory as far as I'm concerned, albeit a small one.'_ Oliver thought introspectively.

"Alright everyone. Let's clean this mess up and head back home. I want the head of each department to submit a mission report by the end of the day. Meanwhile I'm going to call for an immediate press conference to announce the dismantling and elimination of Tobais Church and his men, and consequently, I will call off the State of Martial Law. Yes, Prometheus did all the work for us, and he went overboard as far as Tobais Church is concerned. However, if it means that none of my men and women had to lose their lives in the course of this mission, then I for one am more than a satisfied by the course of today's proceedings. So lets pack it up and return to our loved ones. Thank you." Mayor Queen said passionately, the sincerity and genuine concern in his tone for the lives and wellbeing of his comrades unmistakeable even to the most synical of his compatriots, a round of applause being the only way they could think of to show their appreciation and approval of the young Mayor, the mayor making his way out of the building with Ragman, Mr Terrific, Green Arrow, Vigilante, and Deputy Mayor Lance accompanying him as his protective guard.

"Deputy Mayor Lance..."

"Yes Mr. Mayor sir?" Quentin replied with a bit of an exaggeration to the respectful tone, Oliver resisting the urge to roll his eyes at his deputy's antics.

"I need you to give District Attorney Chase and Captain Pike a call. Tell them the good news and inform them to call of the street patrol. Also, inform them that I will have their families released from protective custody at the conclusion of the press conference." Oliver ordered authoratively.

"Consider it done." Quentin said with a more serious tone, realising that Oliver was not in the mood for jokes right now, despite the fact that Quentin would have expected Oliver to be celebrating right now.

 **Later That Night: Undisclosed Location**

"You're late." Adrian Chase said matter of factly, seemingly talking to himself or some form of invisible force as there was no one to be seen in and around his location. He was at the rooftop of an abandoned building near the outskirts of Star City, looking directly at the city, towards the direction of City Hall, wearing a full formal suit with a red tie and a black trench coat.

"Maybe I was here the whole time and you just didn't notice until recently." A woman said with a cultured, sensual, and intellectual sounding accent, the voice of the woman coming from behind Adrian, who turned around to face the myserious woman, who not only sounded mysterious but also looked mysterious as she was wearing an assassins outfit complete with a hood, a bow, and a stack of arrows in a quiver strapped to her back.

"Or maybe you trained me too well for that to be possible and you're just late. After all, I am Talia Al Ghul's prized student." Adrian retorted, staring unflinchingly into the gaze of his teacher, who only had amusement dancing in the depths of her eyes.

"And how sure is my student that he is in fact the prized one? How sure is he that his enemy is the prized student?" The woman, now identified as Talia Al Ghul, retorted, Adrian's mood and demeanor instantly turning foul at such a ludicrous insinuation, or perhaps not because it was ludicrous but his mood turning foul because of the reality that it might actually be possible that there was truth in her words.

"I guess time, and time alone will reveal the truth." Adrian countered, with every intention to prove her beyond reasonable doubt to be wrong about the Green Arrow.

"If it was not so, then would you have needed to make me travel all the way to Star City? Am I not here because you need my help?" Talia wittingly retorted.

"..."

"Oh chin up my beloved apprentice. I fully intended for us to work together from the moment you told me your story. I knew it would come to this. The truth is, we're lucky that he has allowed himself to be tamed by family life and the friendships that he has made in Star City. Because the Oliver I met in Russia, if we were dealing with him, then I would be terrified...for both our sakes." Talia said with a grave tone and expression, causing Adrian to scrunch up his face with a mixture of curiousity, intrigue, and disbelief permeating his thoughts.

"You can't be serious. Why would you of all people be terrified of him?" Adrian asked incredulously.

"Oliver is an anim... no, actually, he's far worse than an animal. He's monster. A demon. A dark, malovelant, and unpredictable demon. That is why what we're planning to do is so dangerous, because our actions are just as likely to unleash that malovelant demon as they are to destroy him. We have to be prepared for the worst." Talia warned.

"I don't know. I've spent a lot of time with him as the District Attorney, and I've even befriended him. He seems pretty harmless to me, relatively speaking of course. And since we're on the topic, how sure are you that we're going after the right person?" Adrian asked, this time Talia spotting a confused expression.

"What on earth do you mean? Don't tell me you're having second thoughts about..."

"I'm not having any seconds thoughts. However, I can't escape the fact that I've seen both Oliver and the Green Arrow, standing right next to me, on more than one occasion, and all of those times I was certain of both of their identities. There was absolutely nothing out of place. So unless he is a meta human that can clone himself, or he's using some sort of magic, then I'm starting to wonder if Oliver really is the Green Arrow. At the very least I have to question if The Hood and The Green Arrow are the same person." Adrian elaborated, Talia taking note of a rare look of desperation in her student's eyes, a look she hadn't seen since the first time he approached her, begging her to take him under her wing.

"You see what I mean? An unpredictable demon. Fortunately for you I happen to know a lot of this demon's secrets." Talia said with an arrogant smirk.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Adrian asked with a hint of frustration and impatience, his teacher's insufferable round about way of talking causing him to start to regret calling her in the first place.

"The man's name is Christopher Chance, otherwise known as the Human Target. His specialty is posing as a double for powerful, rich and famous people and even faking their deaths by allowing planned assassination attempts to take their course. Also, most importantly, he doesn't merely impersonate his clients, he actually becomes them in almost every sense of the word, that's how good he is at his job, and that is also why you couldn't tell the difference between him and the real Oliver Queen." Talia explained, a look of shock, realisation, and then relief morphing into Adrian's facial features, everything finally starting to make sense now.

"Is this guy a friend of his? This Human Target? Am I going to have to be worried about him?"

"No, no you won't. We just need to be patient. Human Target doesn't have any friends, and prides himself on his professionalism. He's also too much of a free spirit to accept a permanent retainer contract, so there is no doubt that there is a time limit on his contract with Oliver. We just have to wait until the time runs out and we won't have to worry about him anymore."

"I see..." Adrian trailed off thoughtfully, wondering how he could use this information to his advantage, fortunately for him, Talia already had something to keep him occupied for the time being.

"In the meantime, I've got a little something for you to work on. Here, take a look at this." Talia said as she showed him a video on her tablet.

"Those...these are the buildings that suddenly crumbled in Central City. What has this got to do with anything related to our mission?" Adrian asked curiously.

"I had my people hack into the cctv to find out exactly what was happening around the time those buildings crumbled. To my surprise, someone had already hacked into the cctv and deleted all video evidence of the events surrounding the demolition of those buildings. So clearly someone didn't want anyone to see and find out about what truly happened on that day." Talia explained, taking a moment to allow Chase to digest that tad bit of information before carrying on from where she left off.

"So I had my people go to Central City to conduct an investigation the old fashioned way. They found a store close by with a surveilance camera that is facing towards the street right in front of one of the buildings that were demolished. Here, take a look at what the footage revealed." Talia said as she pushed the tablet into her student's hands, a mischievious curiosity dancing in her eyes as she anticipated what kind of reaction her student would have to what he was about to see.

"This...is impossible. Laurel Lance is the one who destroyed Mercury Labs? I don't understand. I never thought her canary cry had anywhere near this much power, not to mention the fact that Damian Darhk is supposed to have killed her already by the time this happened. And isn't she supposed to be one of the so called good guys?" A perplexed Adrian wondered out loud.

"She is supposed to be dead, and she is dead, that is to say, assuming you're talking about the Laurel Lance from our universe." Talia replied cryptically, Adrian fixing her with a 'you've gotta be punking me' glare.

"It's true. I was able to get my hands on another footage, one depicting a battle between the Black Siren and the Flash." Talia said as she motioned for Adrian to move to the next video on the list, continuing to talk as Adrian watched the footage.

"A lip reading alghorythm my people developed revealed critical information about Zoom and his meta human minions. It turns out that Zoom, along with his minions, all come from a place known as Earth 2, an earth that exists in a parallel universe to this one. It would seem, as far as we are aware, that only speedsters possess the ability of interdimensional travelling, which is why Zoom was able to teleport his minions to and fro the two universes."

"So this is Earth 2's version of Laurel Lance, and she's a meta human?" Adrian asked rhetorically.

"Not only that, but this version of her is a very bad girl who takes pride and joy in the pain and misery of others." Talia said with unmistakable glee in her tone.

"I see..." Adrian trailed off, the cogs in his brain churning rapidly as his mind went on overdrive, quickly formulating a plan of action based on the information that he had just received.

"I think I know how we can use this to our advantage." Adrian said finally.

"That was quick. Do tell what kind of plan could you have possibly conjured up in this very brief amount of time?" Talia asked curiously.

"We leak this information to Oliver." Adrian said simply, Talia waiting to hear more and sighing in disappointment when there was nothing forth coming.

"That's it? How utterly disappointing. I never took you for such a simpleton." Talia retorted, Adrian scowling in displeasure at the derigative remark from his mentor.

"The idea and the action might be simple in itself, but I assure you the domino effects far from simple. What do you think Oliver will do when he finds out that his friend Barry Allen is keeping his soul mate in a prison cell and didn't bother to tell him about it, and in fact, went to great lengths in an attempt to erase all evidence of her existence. Doppelganger or not, I wouldn't be a happy man if I learned that one of my closest friends betrayed me like that." Adrian said with a sinister smirk and a deranged glint in his eyes.

"You intend to use her to create a war between Oliver and the Flash? Two friends fighting over a girl. I must say, I very much like the way you think." Talia said with a matching smirk.

"That's not all it will boil down to. You see, if they don't destroy each other and let's say, Oliver wins and retrieves Laurel's doppelganger, there's still the matter of her being an evil psycho bitch. Her true nature will come to the fore and it will eat Oliver alive, especially considering that he will have betrayed and went to war with his own friends to get her by his side, only for her to betray him. It could be enough to destroy Oliver, or at the very least to take him to the brink of it." Adrian said diabolically.

"I take back what I said. You're no simpleton, not even close. Your plan is flawless, and it would go a long way to helping us to exact our revenge..."

"Why do I sense a 'but' coming?" Adrian said with an intense scowl, Talia giggling at, despite how truly menacing Adrian probably looked, that to her he looked more like a disgruntled little boy, perhaps because of how old she was, of how much life experience she had, and maybe also because he was like a surrogate son to her.

"There is a but, and the but is that, despite how brilliant and inspired your plan is, I happen to have something better in mind..." Talia trailed off with that self assured, arrogant smirk once again appearing on her facial features.

 **Same Night: Mayor Queen's House**

"I'm guessing the fact that I'm meeting you back here marks the end of my contract." Christopher Chance, otherwise known as 'Human Target', said with a sigh of relief in his tone, never having taken such a crazy and yet intrigueing mission before.

"The end of a job well done. I couldn't have played me better myself." Oliver said as he shook the man's hand, who was just now pulling off his mask much to Oliver's relief, as he had honestly had enough of the weirdness that comes with talking to someone who looked and sounded exactly like him, Curtis unable to surpress the chuckle that slipped out of his throat, Oliver fixing him with a blank stare as a result.

"Umm...sorry, it's just that umm...that was a clever play of words... _couldn't have played me better myself..._ hahaha...ah...ha..." Curtis laughed awkwardly, Rory smacking his forehead against his head at the unlimited stupidity his sibling student was capable of displaying, especially for a such a genius.

"Ahem, well, it was my pleasure Oliver, and good job getting Ms She-Devil Journalist to go on a date with you. I've heard of making friends with your enemies to keep them close, but making love to them? That's a new one for me." Christopher said jovially.

"We haven't...it's not...hmm...!" Oliver growled under his breathe, nevermind Curtis but even Rory this time unable to help but to let out a laugh even at the risk of painful retaliation from his mentor, because this was just too good to pass up as he wasn't sure when the next time was that he would see Oliver so flustered.

"Hahaha! Chin up my friend. That was a compliment." Christopher patted Oliver on the shoulder as he made his way to the door.

"Friend? I thought you didn't have any friends?" Oliver said to the man, who stopped ubruptly at the door.

"I thought for sure someone like you would have learned by now. There are always exceptions to the rule." Christopher turned his head around to wink at the mayor before making a swift exit, not giving Oliver a chance to ask him if he wanted to reconcider the offer he made to him, said offer being that he'd offered the Human Target a position on his team, and had been rejected.

 _'Guess I'll have to try again next time then.'_ Oliver thought optimistically, only to be broken out of his musings by his idiotic genius of an apprentice.

"What is it?" Oliver asked curiously, said curiousity gaining triple the intensity when the mayor saw the serious expression on his student's facial features.

"Well, I know you wanted to add new members in the team, preferably members with super powers, magics, or some other type of special abilities. I also remembered that you mentioned that you made a promise to the Black Canary, a promise that you would find, recruit and/or groom a successor for her." Curtis trailed off deliberately, more than peaking Oliver's curiosity.

"You've found someone?" Oliver asked anxiously.

"Not just someone, but someone perfect for the job. A meta human with powers that are similar to Black Canary's sonic device, except capable of unleashing far more powerful sound waves. She's also a skilled fighter and...guess what...she actually has some experience with vigilantism. Here, see for yourself." Curtis said as he grabbed his laptop from the marbel table in Oliver's lounge and handed it to him, the mayor clicking on the play button and watching with widened eyes as he saw exactly what Curtis was telling him about, and liked every bit of it.

"A female meta human with a harcore attitude, decent combat skills, and a supernatural canary cry? She's better than perfect. Tell me everything about her." Oliver ordered authoratively.

"Her name is Tina Boland, but that is just a name she used when she was undercover..."

"Undercover? So she's a cop?" Rory asked curiously.

"Was a cop, in Central City, round about the time the particle accelerator exploded. Her real name was incredibly hard to find, and even I stumbled on it accidentally, because you know, I like to pay attention even to the most insignificant details and do thorough research on..."

"Curtis!" Oliver snapped impatiently, feeling like this was too important for him to be wasting time listening to his student's random ramblings.

"Oh! Ya! I'm rambling aren't I. Sorry, that..oh...shees, almost did it again. Anyway...ahem...her real name is Dinah Drake, and she had infiltrated a notorious gang in Central City and got outed. The boss of the gang, Sean Sonus is alleged to have killed her male partner, Vincent Sobel, by way of gunshot, right in front of her. Which would explain why, in every city she has travelled to, I have found that Sean Sonus and his gang have been active just prior to her arrival."

"So we're thinking she is trying to avenge her partner?" Rory asked curiously.

"Or her lover." Oliver added.

"Oooooh! Totally did not think of it like that. Hmmm...yes, it could very well be." Curtis said with a comical thinking pose, Oliver shaking his head in dismay at his student's antics.

"This Sean Sonus? Where is he now?" Oliver asked.

"He's in Hub City, and so is our prospective Canary." Curtis replied.

"Okay good. We need to hurry up and get to Hub City as soon as possible. I think I know what we have to do." Oliver said with a dark undertone, both Rory and Curtis getting goosebumps whenever Oliver had that look in his eyes, knowing that whatever came next was either going to be horrific, exciting, inspirational, or, somehow, all of the above.

"Yes boss! Oh...and ah...ahaha...guess what yours truly created specifically for this mission? Yes! You guessed it, a sonic dampener that should...theoretically, temporarily supress our mystery woman's powers. Should make it easier to talk to her without all that screaming huh? Ahahaha...aha...!" Curtis laughed awkwardly at the end, Rory starting to wonder if Curtis had all that awkwardness trademarked somehow because of how he managed to turn every situation into a big ball of awkward vibes.

"Curtis...how long exactly have you been sitting on this information?" Oliver asked out of the blue, Curtis's eyes widening in horror at the implications of what Oliver was asking him.

"I uhh...got it today..."

"Today? You sure you want to stick to that answer? Today, the day that you returned from a three day mission that you had outside of the city, the same day in which you participated in the mission to exterminate Tobais Church, the same day...that I know exactly where you've been the whole day. You want to tell me that, in that space of time, you managed to find this woman, find out all of this information about her, and then, above all of that, designed and built a device to supress her powers? Is that the story you want to stick to? You're sure...?" The mayor asked menacingly, Curtis's life flashing right in front of his eyes as he thought for sure that he was about to die.

"I...I'm sorry. I...I w-was going to tell you on Monday but then you gave us that mission Sunday evening. After that I knew that if I told you about this you wouldn't be able to stop thinking about that girl. I...I d-didn't want you to be d-distracted." Curtis managed to sputter out a somewhat reasonable explanation.

"That's a surprisingly logical explanation." Oliver said with a little less intensity, Curtis releasing a huge sigh of relief at that response. Maybe his time to die hadn't arrived yet after all.

"However..." Or maybe he spoke too soon.

"I'm disappointed that you would think so low of me as to believe I would let my personal feelings get in the way of such an important mission for Star City. Don't let it happen again..." Oliver said with a tone that promised unbearable pain.

"Y-yes sir." Curtis said meekly, Oliver simply nodding his head as he turned and walked towards the window with a contemplative expression on his facial features.

"I know this may sound strange to you, especially considering that I just said that I would never put my personal life ahead of the mission, but we actually can't go to Hub City just yet. I have a dinner date with Susan Williams tommorrow evening, and I'm afraid we won't be back in time for me to go on that date if we leave today." Oliver said, both Rory and Curtis looking at Oliver as if he had just grown a dozen eyes at the back of his head.

"Like I said, I know what it sounds like, but Susan Williams knows my secret, about the Bratva, and about the Green...well, I'm sure she no longer believes I'm the Green Arrow but she sure as hell believes there's a connection between us. She's also been actively attacking me since I took office until recently. Now that we're on good terms, it is important that I keep her happy, both for the mayor and for the Green Arrow's sake, but especially for the sake of Star City. I can't afford to miss or cancel our first date." Oliver explained, hoping that his students would understand where he was coming from.

"So...you're basically dating her so that she won't rat you out?" Rory asked with a disaproving tone.

"I'm going on date with her because I like her, and she likes me, but I can't pretend that there aren't any side benefits to the...potential relationship. Besides, I already have a plan of action should she decide to out me, and no, it doesn't involve harming, kidnapping, or killing her." Oliver quickly added, though some would argue that it was a great issue of concern that he even had to clarify that.

"I see." Rory said with less disaproval in his tone, although Oliver could still sense that he was a little conflicted about the issue.

"But what if Sonus and future Canary leave Hub City while we wait two days for you and Ms Williams to conclude your business, three days if you end up sleeping over at her place or vice versa?" Rory asked bluntly.

"They won't leave. I'm going to talk to someone from whom I can hire some people to kidnap Sonus. At the very least they can serve as a sort of probe to get us the information we need about him, more specifically, the information we need about his powers. If they succeed then we'll have Sonus in our custody and use him to lure Dinah to Star City. If they fail then we'll have the information about Sonus's meta abilities, if he has any, and act accordingly. Until then, we simply wait." Oliver ordered with all the authority vested in him.

"Sonus's meta human abilities? God I didn't even think of that! Of course he could also be a meta human, they would have been at the same place when the accelerator exploded!" Curtis thought out loud, unable to believe what an idiot he'd been to have overlooked something like that.

"Okay, Sean Sonus's potential powers aside, who's this person that you're going to hire people from? Don't tell me you're thinking about contacting the Bratva?" Rory asked with trepidition.

"No, it's not them. I don't want the Bratva anywhere near Star City." Oliver said with absolution.

"Then who?" Curtis asked anxiously, pin drop silence permeating the atmosphere as Oliver turned around to look his students in the eye, knowing that he was about to reveal a big secret to them, something that would undoubtedly take them some time to process, and even more time to get over when he inevitably starts answering questions about this person, more specifically questions about what she does for a living and what the status of their relationship was.

"My wife..."

 **Two Days Later: Saturday Morning**

"I was afraid you'd left. You weren't in bed this morning." Susan said with a relieved facial expression, glad to find out that she hadn't made a complete fool of herself by sleeping with the mayor on their first date.

"And I was hoping that you would wake up to breakfast in bed this morning. You ruined the surprise." Oliver retorted as he walked over to whom it was relatively safe to say was his girlfriend now and kissed her passionately on the lips, unable to resist but to grope a feel of her all over her sexy body , Susan doing her own bit of groping and feeling as they both were reminded of what a great evening that they had last night.

"I didn't know you could cook."

"You kidding me? What do you think I ate all those years stuck in the island." Oliver retorted.

"Or all those years working for the Bratva." Susan retorted.

"..."

"I...I'm sorry, it's just..."

"No it's okay..."

"No just...just listen to me. I saw the tattoe on your chest during my investigation, and I know it's a marking for the second highest honor one can get within the Bratva. A mark only given for exceptional performances or for doing something extraordinary for the Bratva. That's a Bratva captain's tattoe Oliver." Susan said, deciding that, if this thing between the two of them was going to go anywhere then she would not be able to keep tip toing around this issue for much longer and therefore was just going to come out and put all the cards on the table.

"..."

"Look, I know you don't want to talk about it, and I can indulge you that...for now. But Oliver you made love to me last night, and now you were about to make me breakfast in bed. You're going to have to share that part of your life with me eventually...that is, if this...thing between us is going the direction I think it is...the direction I want it to..." Susan trailed off in a tone that was both questioning and hopeful in nature.

"..."

"Okay, I can take a hint." Susan said as she turned and walked back to her room, trying hard to supress and hide the tears that were stinging her eyes, furious with herself for crying over a guy she hated for so long and had only been on a single date with.

"Wait! Susan...!" Oliver said hastily, internally cursing the Gods for letting Susan be such a good investigative journalist.

"Why should I? So that you can tell me more lies?" Susan stubbornly retorted.

"Look, I was on the island, and then I was out and ended up in the Bratva. I met someone in the island, someone who grew on me, and became an important person to me. She was so brave and so kind and forgiving, and she endured so much. I...I made a promise to her just before she died, a promise to avenger her and her family, and to free her mother and her people from the clutches of the monster that destroyed her family..." Oliver trailed off, tears stinging his own eyes now as he thought about what a wonderful and brave person Taiana was.

"In order to do this I had to get off the island and go to Russia, and there I met another man who I saved in the island, said man being a Bratva captain. He saved my life in return in Russia and offered me his Bratva resources, training, and connections in order to help me fulfill my promise. That's how I became a member of the Bratva, and I gained the rank of captain because, in fulfilling my promise, I exposed the Pakhan of the time to be a traitor who was working for Konstantin Kovar, and killed them both whilst also dismantling Kovar's organisation. When I left the Bratva, the new Pakhan, the man who I met on the island, promised that he would make the Bratva better, and that they would become an organisation dedicated to helping the poor, the sick, and the helpless. Just in case the promise wasn't fulfilled and things turned for the worse, I banned Bratva activity in Star City. That is the whole story, I promise." Oliver said with sincerity in his tone and facial features.

"So you were not actually a thug? You joined Bratva to fulfill a promise to a woman you loved? You joined because of noble reasons?" Susan said with a look of realisation and even admiration.

"I joined so that I can slaughter an entire criminal syndicate. I killed, tortured, mutilated, and did all sorts of unspeakable horrors. So yes, I wanted to fulfil a promise to someone I loved dearly, someone I owed dearly, and someone who deserved far better than she got in life, and that can be seen as noble I suppose in theory, but there is a darker and more sinister side to it in practice." Oliver explained, definitely not pulling any punches at this point in time, because he knew that Susan had to accept the risk and the dangers of being with him now or else she would only feel hurt, confused, and betrayed later on when she sees his true self.

"Wow, you must have really loved this woman, to have gone that far. She was your lover correct?"

"No. She wasn't. Maybe she would have, but probably not, after all, I did kill her brother. Even though she forgave me, it would have been asking too much of her to then expect her to be my partner in that manner after what I did." Oliver confessed.

"Okay you know what. I thought I wanted to hear more, I really did. But I think I've heard enough. Your life is...complicated. I think you should leave." Susan said much to Oliver surprise, unable to believe what he was hearing, but then again, he knew that he was a monster, and that normal people would undoubtedly become disgust and fear induced if they could see what he truly was. Curtis and Rory accepted him because he pretty much Ra's Al Ghuled them as he had put them through conditioning/brainwashing under the guise of 'training', something he couldn't do to Susan.

"Susan I..."

"I need time to think, to process all of this. I can't...I can't do that while you're here. I'll call you when I'm ready to talk to you...when I've made a decision." Susan said, the fear and concern in her eyes hurting Oliver more than her words, which quite honestly baffled him as that was a look he usually, secretly, enjoyed seeing in people's eyes when they looked at him like that, although that was mostly the people he wanted to hurt or kill.

"Okay...I understand." Oliver eventually said, switching off the stove as it turned out he wasn't going to be able to prepare the food he so enthusiastically went out to buy early in the morning.

"I will..."Oliver stopped abruptly as he was interupted by a knock on the door, Susan shaking her head in the negative when Oliver gave her a questioning look, indicating that she hadn't been expecting any company today.

 _ **Knock knock knock**_

"Oliver! Would you be so kind as to open the door for me dear husband." A feminine voice so sexy and yet so sophisticated at the same time could be heard from the other side of the door, a voice Oliver knew all too well as his eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head, unable to believe that she would come here of all places to see him.

"Husband...!" Susan exclaimed, shock, confusion, and righteous fury all visible in her facial features, and especially audible in her tone.

"It's not what you..."

"...think? Really Oliver? You're going to use that cliche? When has that ever worked!" Susan said with a look like she was about to lose her mind, or strangle the mayor to death with her bare hands.

"I...let me get the door, I'm sure this is some kind of misunder...standing..." Oliver trailed off as the unwanted guest let themselves in, clearly not intent on waiting any longer for someone to come to the door.

"Nyssa...!" Oliver growled with displeasure, trying but failing to keep the anger, exasperation, and disaproval out of his tone.

"Beloved Husband. It's been...what, 40 hours since we last talked? And much, much too long since last we saw each other." Nyssa said with a combination of mirth and sincerity in her tone, capturing Oliver in a trance as she sensually walked over to the mayor, grabbed the back of his head, and slipped her tongue into his mouth, initiating as raw, primal, and erotic a kiss as one could ever imagine experiencing in their life, leaving Susan Williams fish eyed and shell shocked on the sidelines, unable to form any words to stop or rebuke what was transpiring right in front of her, between some strange woman and the man that she had just recently seriously considered as someone who could potentially be her life partner.

It wasn't only the scene transpiring in the space between her kitchen and her living room, nor the word 'husband' that the woman had uttered that were causing her to have doubts about a potential relationship with the mayor, nor even the overbearing chemistry that she could sense between them, but it was also the fact that the woman looked like a godess that had taken on a human form.

Her hair was a long and silky black, her eyes deep shade with a primal, almost predatory confidence, her skin creamy and smooth, and her body had curves in all the right places. She was wearing black form fitting leather pants with black boots, a red top that somehow held up her bra-less cleavage in perfect position, and a black leather jacket, making her look like some kind of biker girl. Strangely enough, as weird as it looked, even the sword strapped to her back added to her sexual appeal somehow, although it also caused Susan to be wary of the woman, which is the only reason she hadn't, possibly violently, broken the lip lock between the couple.

"Hmmm...now that was actually better than I thought. I believe we haven't lip locked since the night of our marriage. Of course back then I hated you too much to have possibly enjoyed it, but I must say, now that my mind is relatively clear, I think I finally understand a little bit as to why you're the only man Sara has ever been with, or indeed loved." Nyssa said with a look of realisation.

"Nyssa...what...are...you...doing here?" Oliver ground out slowly and deliberately, the anger in his tone and facial expression enough to make Susan realise that there was perhaps more to the story than meets the eye, and now that she thought about it...

"Hey wait a second! How is it exactly that you two are married? I've investigated almost everything there is to know about Oliver, and I know for a fact that no marriage certificate exists or ever existed with the name Oliver Queen on it. Just what the hell is going on here exactly?" Susan asked suspiciously, her paranoia getting the best of her as she started to wonder if this wasn't some cruel, sadistic prank that Oliver was playing on her.

"Oh please. You think that a piece of paper at the registra's office is what constitutes a real marriage? I gotta say Husband, I am very much disappointed in your choice of a concubine."

"What...! I'm not a..."

"She's not a concubine!" Oliver said angrily.

"Good. Because I'm supposed to give birth to the first born heir to Ra's Al Ghul, the concubines are not allowed to get pregnant before the wife, in fact you're not even allowed to have one until I have given birth to our first born male heir, but I'm sure you know that, right, beloved?" Nyssa said as she tapped Oliver on the shoulder, Oliver just barely resisting the urge to flinch in response to both her words and her touch as he tried to figure out what the hell was going on, because as far as he was concerned, this seemed awfully, and that is to say, really awfully uncharacteristic of her.

"I'm not a concubine! And how exactly are the two of you married?" Susan asked with anger and desperation audible in her tone.

"We were bethrothed to each other, and we wed through a sacred ceremony conducted by my late father, the previous incarnation of Ra's Al Ghul. My father adopted Oliver as his heir, and renamed him Al Sah Him, heir to the Demon. In other words, Oliver is both my step brother and my husband, and he is the Demon, protector of the world, and head of the Demon known as the League of Assassins, a secret society of elite assassins that have shaped and directed the world for centuries."

"I renounced all of that! You didn't approve of me, didn't deem me worthy, and wanted the throne for yourself. I gave it to Al Sa Her. But you didn't approve of him either and started a civil war, a civil war that you won. You are the head of the Demon now are you not? You got what you wanted. So why are you bothering me? Why are you messing with my life? Why are you playing the loving couple routine when you tried to kill me during our wedding ceremony?" Oliver growled out in quick succession, Susan's eyes widening in horror at everything that was coming out of Oliver's mouth, including the confirmation that this woman was indeed his wife.

"Because I was wrong, and so are you." Nyssa said cryptically.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Oliver asked incredulously.

"You're wrong about me defeating Al Sa Her, and you're wrong about me being the Demon Head.I didn't defeat Al Sa Her, not in the traditional sense anyway. His followers deemed him unworthy of the name of Ra's Al Ghul and deserted him. Initially I thought this to be a good omen for me but when I tried to organise the deserters, they refused to follow me either, said I was even more unworthy than Al Sa Her, can you believe the nerve of those baphoons?" Nyssa whined in a stereotypical housewife routine, of course never, ever, going to accept the notion of her being less worthy than Malcolm Merlyn of all people.

"But you know, it was fine because I had my loyal followers correct? I could rebuild and make the league great again. Imagine the surprise when my own men tried to kill me, for the same reasons as the deserters refused to join me. Fortunately I still had some loyal men and together we were able to fend off the assassination attempt, but there were only seven of us left by the end of it. And then you called me and asked me to assassinate a potential meta human thug, and guess what, I sent four of my men and none of them have come back. They were supposed to check in some hours ago. That leaves me with two men now, just the three of us, with over two dozen league trained assassins after my head, and that is without even counting Al Sa Her's sixty men strong deserters, who might yet still decide they would rather have me dead than alive. Surely now you can understand why I had to come to you, beloved husband..." Nyssa trailed off with a grave undertone.

"You want my protection, which is absolutely fine with me, of course I would protect you, even if you were not my wife. What I don't understand is why you had to come here and ruin my...ruin what I...what me and Susan could have had? Why did you have to come and reveal everything to her? Why put her life at risk like that?" Oliver asked furiously.

"Oh I'm doing more than putting her life at risk, I'm threatening to kill her my self!" Nyssa exclaimed as she, in the blink of an eye, grabbed Susan by the arm, twisted her arm so that she was kneeling in front of her, in the same movement Nyssa pulling out her sword and holding it against Susan's throat.

"Nyssa! What the...what the hell are doing!" Oliver exclaimed furiously.

"Oliver! H...help me! P-please!" Susan cried, unable to remember a time in her life that she was so scared before.

"It's going to be okay. I won't let you die. I promise. Just try to calm down and this will be over soon." Oliver said reassuringly.

"You must really care about this girl. Good. This should go exactly as planned then." Nyssa said with an emotion deficient tone, a tone that made Oliver realise just how serious Nyssa was about whatever craziness had just taken hold of her.

"Why are you doing this? I already said I would protect you..."

"Oh I'm afraid I'm going to need a little more than that from you husband. If this was just about my protection I would have simply called you on your cellphone or payed you a visit at your house. I'm holding this woman's life hostage because I need you to make a promise to me, a promise of a lifetime." Nyssa said with a sinister undertone.

"What do you want!" Oliver exclaimed impatiently, just wanting to get this nightmare overwith as soon as possible at this point.

"I want you to promise to love, cherish, and protect me for the rest of your days on this planet, as my husband, Ra's Al Ghul." Nyssa said with a non compromising tone.

"That's it? This whole thing is about renewing your vows!" Susan asked incredulously, unable to believe that she was going through this horrific nightmare for such a ridiculous reason.

"It's not just about renewing vows. If you read between the lines, then what she is actually saying is that she wants me to claim my inheritance. She wants me to to save her life from the rogue assassins yes, but she also wants to dictate my methods for doing so, by having me re-organise the league of assassins militia." Oliver explained.

"It's like I said. I was wrong before. You are the true heir dear husband. You, and you alone survived not one, but a number of fatal wounds from Ra's Al Ghul's sword, and then, you bettered that achievement by actually outsmarting, defeating, and eventually killing him. As if that wasn't enough, Ra's Al Ghul handpicked you himself and announced it, with pride, to everyone who would listen, and he unified his bloodline with yours by wedding you to his daughter. I saw the way the men looked at you during our wedding ceremony, the way they followed your orders when you captured me, and the way they looked up to you. They respected you, and they believed in you. If there's anyone in the world that they will follow, no, rather, there is only one person in the world that they will follow, and that is you." Nyssa said as she pulled out a dagger with her free hand, the dagger of Ra's Al Ghul himself that she had re-possessed from Malcolm 'Al Sa Her' Merlyn, and threw it at Oliver, who caught it easily with his left hand.

"I want you to make a blood bond with me. I want you to swear that you will honor my wishes, or this woman will die." Nyssa said as she pushed the blade against Susan's throat, drawing some blood in order to make the point clear to her hesitant husband.

"How did you even know I was here...?" Oliver whispered just enough for Nyssa to make out what he was saying.

"My sister in law told me of course. She and I are quite close you know. She didn't know why I was coming here, but I'm sure she knew I was up to no good, I mean, why else would I come to your comcubine's house..."

"She's not my...! Hmmm...you won't kill her. I know you Nyssa and you would never kill..."

"...an innocent girl? Do you know how many 'innocent' people I've killed?" Nyssa asked rhetorically.

"Hundreds..." She answered her own question, Oliver bowing his head in defeat as he knew, without a shadow of doubt, that even though she was exaggerating, she wasn't exactly lying about killing innocent people in some of her missions for the league.

"Fine. I'll make the blood bond." Oliver conceded with a heavy sigh, swiftly slicing into his palm and then walking steadily over to his wife as the blood dripped from his hand, all the while thinking about how much he wanted to strangle Thea for telling Nyssa about his situation with Susan and even leading her here.

"I, Oliver Queen...Al Sa Him...Ra's Al Ghul, promise to honor, cherish, love, and protect you, my beloved wife, Nyssa Al Ghul, for the rest of my days in this world and beyond. I promise to collect our people from the four corners of the world and bring them home, to live under my rule and leadership, and to walk together in a shared path towards a better world. I Oliver Queen, Al Sa Him...Ra's Al Ghul, protector of the world, will put a blade through my own heart before I renege on my promise to you." Oliver said as he held out his bleeding hand towards his beautiful, sadistic wife, who sheathed her sword, grabbed the dagger from Oliver, and cut her own hand before taking her husband's hand, the two of them mixing their blood with each other.

"I, Nyssa Al Ghul, daughter of Ra's Al Ghul, sister of Ra's Al Ghul, and wife of Ra's Al Ghul, accept your promise to me, in doing so, promising to honor my husband, to love, protect, and cherish my husband, and to honor my people and our traditions. I promise to provide a soothing and helping hand to my husband, and to help wherever I can to fulfill our goals and our wishes. I promise to be the pillar that holds up the bridge that is the protector of the world, that bridge being you beloved husband, Oliver Queen, Al Sa Him...Ra's...Al...Ghul." Nyssa said with tears stinging her eyes, internally cursing herself for being unable to hold back her emotions, Oliver's eyes softening a bit as he realised how important this was to Nyssa, and how utterly terrified and desperate she must have been to have taken such a drastic and messy solution to get what she wanted, despite how angry he was with her right now.

 _'I suppose there was only sofar that I could have run from this responsibility. This was probably inevitable from the time that I met Ra's, but perhaps this isn't such a bad thing after all. Having my own personal army of assassins at my beck and call, well...I can now protect not just Star City but the whole country itself. And in time, maybe I will be able to protect the entire world.'_ Oliver thought optimistically.

"Ahem...well, anyway...I'd assume the two of you have a lot to discuss in light of recent events, so I'll leave you to it then." Nyssa said as she pulled out a red cloth and started wiping the blood from her hands, Oliver resisting the urge to shake his head in dismay at the casual manner Nyssa was adressing the mess that she just created, as if she was merely talking about a spilt glass of wine or something.

"Oh? So your life is no longer in danger all of a sudden?" Susan asked spitefully, finally gathering enough courage to lash out at the crazy female assassin bitch.

"Of course not, for I now have the most powerful weapon of all...news of the return of Ra's Al Ghul, and a renewal of my vows to him. They will come to assassinate me, but they will bow before me when they hear the good news." Nyssa said with a cocky smirk.

"Even if that is the case, it won't be good enough in the long run. Sarab had a very good repoitre with most of the members of the league both because of his exceptional skills and his charisma. In the brief time that I was an active member, he served as both my leuitenant and my spokesperson, and was your father's trusted adviser and enforcer before I joined."

"What relevance does this have now husband? Sarab is dead, killed by his own wife." Nyssa asked with confusion.

"His wife doesn't know this, but I stole his corpse and had it stored in a cryogenic chamber, and I believe I may have found a way to ressurrect him, well, actually, I've found someone who might have a way to ressurrect him. What I need from you is to contact his wife and tell her what I just told you. Tell her to come to Star City as soon as possible. We won't be able to ressurrect him without her sword."

"Why on earth would you need a sword to ressurrect someone?" Nyssa asked incredulously, Susan on the other end spotting her own look of incredule at the fact that Nyssa seemed only perplexed by the 'needing a sword' part instead of the whole 'ressurrecting a dead person' concept itself.

"It's...I can't tell you. Katana doesn't know that I know this, but Sarab told me about the powers of that sword, and he told me so in confidence because it is a family heirloom." Oliver said with an apologetic tone to his wife, knowing that keeping a secret from her so soon after renewing their vows was a kind of shitty thing to do, but hoping that she would take solace in the fact that it wasn't his secret to tell. He could understand why Maseo 'Sarab' Yamashiro wouldn't want people to know about the sword, after all, a sword that absorbed and trapped the souls of your enemies, that was some powerful magic right there, and all sorts of bad people would come after his wife if they knew she wielded such a powerful weapon.

"Okay fine, but you're going to have to tell me later just where the hell you got your hands on a cryogenic chamber for God's sake!" Nyssa said incredulously, though secretly she would have to admit that she was quite impressed and overjoyed at her husband's resourcefulness, and of course, at how seriously he was taking his vows to her and the league.

Of course, Oliver couldn't answer that question either, after all, even though Amanda Waller was dead, she had made it clear to him that he was to tell no one about all the favors that she had done for him over the years, especially ones of this magnitude and financial expenditure. His relationship with her had been volatile and disfunctional on the surface, but deep down, they knew that they had nothing but respect and appreciation for one another, even though they would never admit it, neither to each other or anyone else for that matter.

In any case, Oliver was dreading the thought of calling in another favor from John Constantine. The guy was insufferable and would no doubt rub in the fact that Oliver would now owe him big for this magnitude of an assist. However, he also knew that there was no one else who could figure out a way to transfer a soul from a magic object and back to a human body, after all, all things concerning souls were John's daily bread, the man dealing with issues of that ilk almost on a daily basis.

"I'll tell you as much as I can about it later on. Just find Katana and bring her here." Oliver countered, not wanting to reveal any more information than already revealed to Susan, as everything she knew was already much, much more than she should have ever been allowed to find out about.

 _'It's important that I have a general that I can trust with my life and my secrets, and there's no one better than Maseo. I always intended to find a way to ressurrect him, but I never thought I would have to do it so soon. I was hoping Constantine would owe me another big favor before I ask anything of him, but it now seems like I will be the one owing him.'_ Oliver thought warily, wary of the moment Constantine called in a favor with him as he was quite honestly dreading the possibility of having anything to do with demons, angels, and whatever else that Constantine was involved with.

"Alright alright I'll go, but I expect full disclosure when I come back home." Nyssa said with an uncompromising tone.

 _'Home huh...?'_ Oliver thought, trying to get his head around the fact that he was going to have a wife to go home to from now on whether he liked it or not. Knowing Nyssa, Oliver wondering if she hadn't already moved her stuff into his house even before coming here to basically destroy his relationship prospects with Susan.

 _'We'll have to build a huge compound either on the outskirts of Star City or beneath the City. Nanda Parbart is no longer an option. I'm moving the league to Star City.'_ Oliver thought with conviction, closing the door behind his wife and turning around to face his sort of girlfriend/sort of one night stand, not really sure how it was possible for them to proceed now that he was going to be fulfilling his marital duties.

"I guess you and I have a lot to talk about..."

"You think...!" Susan retorted furiously, Oliver swallowing a lump of saliva as he braced himself for the tongue lashing that was no doubt coming his way.

 **That evening: Green Arrow Bunker**

"Wow!You're back. We were just about to go out on city patrol without you. Not much is happening tonight, no signs of Prometheus or his accomplices and overall it's generally a quite night." Rory said when Oliver arrived at the bunker.

Rory wasn't wearing his hood and mask, but he did have his rags on with a few operation tools in hidden compartments in the rags. Curtis was also dressed in his Mr Terrific uniform, except he was wearing a new, much improved one, instead of all black mixing a little white on it and unless Oliver was mistaken, this one was made of a Kevlar like material for added protection.

"You sound surprised to see me. What did you think, that I would start slacking off all of a sudden?" Oliver asked rhetorically.

"Well we haven't heard from you since you went on a date with Ms Williams. Honestly we were starting to think that she might have been keeping you in her house against your will at this point. Curtis even had a rescure plan all set out." Rory retorted.

"I did? Oh! Y-yes...yes I did."Curtis lied pathetically, both Oliver and Rory looking at Curtis as if he had suddenly grown a set of balls on his face.

"Oh you were being sarcastic? Ahahaha yeah I knew that. So was I...ahahaha...aha!" Curtis said hastily, Oliver suddenly realising that he would probably never get used to this guy's weird behaviour.

"Ahem. Anyway, Curtis have you checked the video feed from the micro cameras I had Nyssa's men wear on their mission to capture Sonus." Oliver asked curiously, this time knowing without a shadow of doubt that Sean Sonus was a meta human, as there was no way he otherwise could have stopped the assassination attempt of four league trained assassins. The only thing that was left to confirm was the kind powers that he had.

"As a matter of fact we did. Turns out that he has similar powers to our prospective canary, but only similar insofar as they both use sound based attacks. The execution and effects are however vastly different." Curtis replied.

"Different how?" Oliver asked curiously.

"Sonus's power is that of a sonic based vertigo inducement, at which point he can easily shoot or slaughter his enemies while they are disorientated by the effects of the vertigo." Curtis explained.

"I see. One question though, if this guy has similar powers to Dinah Drake, doesn't that mean that your sonic dampener should, theoretically, have the same or a similar effect on him as it does to Dinah Drake?" Oliver asked curiously, Rory and Curtis both being reminded of just what a smart guy Oliver was despite never completing his tertiary education.

"Y-yes. T-that's exactly what we I was telling Rory earlier." Curtis replied, eyes still slightly wide in surprise at how quickly Oliver was able to come to that conclusion.

"Okay. I'm cancelling tonight's city patrol. We're going to Hub City..." Oliver trailed off with a focussed look in his eyes, determined to do whatever it takes to get Dinah Drake into his team as soon as possible, preferably before Nyssa finds and returns with Tatsu 'Katana' Yamashiro.

 **End Chapter**

 **Oh man I had a lot more planned for this chapter, but I guess I'll have to leave it for the next one.**

 **Nyssa has returned, that was probably a surprise for some of you, especially the way in which she returned. Seems like fear for her life is the main driving force behind her actions, but maybe it is also guilt because she has played a large role in the mess that has become of the league.**

 **Ironically, despite the hate and loathe she had for her father, one can't help but notice the blatant similarities in their methods given the level of emotional blackmail she used to get Oliver back into the league, just like her father did to get him in the first place.**

 **I know it's a slow build up, but I think it will be worth it in the long run. I have a lot of great plans for this story, and I plan to expand on the whole DC World in the future with some plot twists that I'm sure none of you will see coming. Oliver will be at the centre of it all of course, after all, he is the main character.**

 **For now this is goodbye, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Title of Next Chapter: Inter-Universal Love**

 **PREVIEW:**

 **Black Canary 2.0**

 **Dinah Laurel Lance vs Dinah Drake / Black Siren vs Black Canry**

 **Return Of The League Of Assassins**

 **Katana leaves life of solitude, becomes part of something greater.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or any other series I might use for inspiration.

 _ **Inter - Universal Love**_

A loud, grating screech could be heard, followed by the sound of shattered glass as two 230 pound men were sent crashing through a glass window, everyone in the bar covering their ears as the banshee like screech caused them a great amount of pain and discomfort, but not enough to inflict any permanent or even temporary injury to anyone except to the targets, of whom one was twitching on the pavement in pain and the other was barely conscious.

"Who...w-who the h-hell are you?" One of the men, the one who was twitching in pain, barely managed to squeeze out of his throat, unable to contain the fury that was welling up inside of him, the nerve of this woman to dare to attack him like that. All the anger and hatred in the world was useless however as there was nothing he could do about it, because almost every bone in his body was shattered by the woman's banshee like abilities, abilities he couldn't even begin to fathom.

The woman looked like an average woman, that is of course, if a woman as beautiful and sexually attractive as she is was the average of nowadays. She had long black hair, beautiful, blemish-less skin, and dark, mysterious eyes, and her body was healthy and athletic, with curves in all the right places and none of the wrong ones. She was wearing dark blue jeans and a black leather jacket along with black fingerless gloves, and had what appeared to be a baton strapped to her waist, which was actually a retractable staff. All in all, she looked like a woman straight out of the most badass action movie, even moreso when she was standing above two 200 pound men that she had just singlehandedly put down.

"My name is Tina, Tina Boland, and I'm the worst nightmare f...for scumbags l-like y-you..." Tina trailed off with a stutter, the words leaving her lips not sounding anywhere near as badass as she wanted, or as badass as her wary audience would have expected. The reason for this was because, standing across the street, was a black, hooded figure staring directly into her eyes with such an instensity that Tina felt as if she had just been stripped naked of all of her secrets, desires, and regrets, as if the figure was staring directly into her soul itself.

Upon closer inspection, the hooded figure was not entirely black, dark yes, but not pitch black dark, as Tina could see that the colour scheme was more of green shade, but a very dark shade of green. The figure had a quiver full of arrows strapped to his back, carrying a bow on his left hand, and although Tina couldn't see it, there was also a short sword strapped to his back, the sheeth of the sword facing the exact opposite direction of the quiver, with the hilt situated at the bottom right hand side below the quiver.

The figure, given his height, size, and body structure appeared to be of male gender, but Tina couldn't see his face because he was wearing a black face mask that covered the lower half of his face. The hood didn't make things any easier for her either, besides, even if he hadn't been covering his facial features, it was doubtful if Tina would have been able to peer herself away from his gaze anyway, as the intensity of his ocean blue eyes kept her frozen in place, demanding that all of her attention be focussed on them try as she might in her futile attempt to resist. In what felt like forever, Tina finally gathered up the courage to ask the man what the hell he was looking at, but just as she was about to open her mouth she found that the figure had vanished from her sight, as if by magic or some kind of teleportation technology.

 _'Or meta human power.'_ Tina thought as she frantically looked around, only to find a shadowy figure turning around a corner to her right hand side across the street.

 _'Or perhaps not. Gotcha!'_ Tina thought as she ran after the mysterious figure, in so much of a hurry that she completely forgot to leave money behind for drinks and of course, for the window that she broke.

It wasn't that she wasn't rattled or even intimidated by the visage of the man that she was running after, but rather, the reason she was running after him was exactly that, because she was totally rattled and intimidated. However, unlike most people who run away from the things that they fear, Tina was the type that ran towards it full speed ahead, because it was her firm belief that one always had to face their fears head on in order to get the best out of life, and she wanted nothing less than the best of it.

Besides, she was quite certain that this man had been following her around all night. In fact, she was certain he'd even been watching her before she even left her motel room. She'd been bar hopping all night long, going in particular to the shadiest parts of Hub City so that she can gather some information and hopefully run into some of Sean Sonus's men. However, the other reason she had been moving around so frequently was also because she was trying to lose her invisible tail, a tail whom she had failed to expose or ellude up until now, and now that she had finally seen him, and thereby confirmed that she wasn't crazy or paranoid, there was no way that she was going to let him get away that easily.

These were the thoughts going through Tina's mind when she followed the man into a dark alley, her heart pounding rapidly as she didn't know exactly what to expect. Not knowing if she was running into an ambush or not, or if this man was working for Sonus or not, Tina pulled out and extending her baton into a staff as she prepared for what she suspected would be the toughest fight of her life, but fully expected to win due to the fact that she still had her trump card in hand, that being her ability to release a high pitched sonic wave attack from her vocal cords.

"Stop right there! Now! I won't ask you again!" Tina exclaimed when she entered the alley and saw the man calmly walking away, Tina wondering if the man was always walking at such a slow pace as she had been running as fast as she could but had been unable to catch up until now.

"It's not like I can go anywhere, there's a dead end at the end of this alley." The man replied with deep, rough and gruff tone, a tone that Tina suspected to not be his normal speaking tone, a tone that Tina suspected to be coming from a voice modulator.

"So you lured me here intentionally, is that what you're saying? News flash, you just made the biggest mistake of your life." Tina rhetored with so much confidence that the mysterious figure couldn't help but to smile just a little under his mask, as he was reminded of some of the badass women that he knew personally.

"..."

"Nothing? No retort at all? How disappointing. Why don't you turn around so that I can get a good look at you before I kill you. I like to look at my enemies in the eye when I kill them."

"..."

"I said turn around! Now!" Tina shouted angrily when the hooded figure ignored her orders, the hooded man turning around slowly to face Tina just as she ordered.

"You...you're that vigilante from Star City aren't you? The Green Archer? What the hell do you want with me? I'm no criminal, and I most certainly have never touched foot in Star City." Tina asked with a little bit of confusion, although she still fully intended to beat the living daylights out of him if he intended to arrest or kill her.

"It's the Green Arrow..."

"Whatever." Tina interupted dismissively, the figure, now identified as the Green Arrow, showing no visible signs of discomfort or irritation at being casually dismissed like that, much to Tina's chagrin as she was hoping to put him a little off his game in case this conversation descended into a street brawl.

"..."

"Am I going to have to give you an invitation to carry on? Or would you rather we skip the explanations and I just kill you?" Tina asked irritably.

"So hostile. Clearly your spirit is not at peace, but then again, that's what a revenge crusade can do to a person. Trust me, I should know." The Green Arrow replied.

"What are you? The all knowing and wise Green Monk now?" Tina asked incredulously.

"And how exactly do you know about my revenge crusade? Sonus send you after me? The Green Monk works for criminals now?" Tina retorted, this time The Green Arrow getting a little bit irritated by his target's taunting remarks, in particular the 'Green Monk' nickname she was using to adress him.

"As I mentioned before the interuption, I happen to know a lot about revenge crusades. It's all you can think about, and it's all you want to do. It consumes your life and determines every thought and action that you take, from the moment your eyes open in the morning to the moment you close them in the evening. The only way to get rid of it is to get rid of the source of it, but once you have accomplished your goal, you're left with nothing but emptiness, almost as if an endless, dark, gaping hole has been ripped open in your heart." The hooded figure said words that spoke volumes of his experience, although Tina on the other hand was having none of that.

"If you're here to convince me to stop my revenge crusade then I'm afraid you're barking at the wrong tree Green Hermit. You might as well drink your own urine and eat your own penis if you think that I'm gonna..."

"On the contrary...!" The Green Arrow interupted with a sinister undertone.

"I would like nothing more than to watch you end Sean Sonus's miserable existence. It would give me great pleasure..." Green Arrow said with a sadistic and borderline creepy tone.

"Are...are you listening to yourself right now? Do you know how creepy that sounds? Is that a new thing? Watching a hot girl kill the guy that you hate for you? What has Sean done to you anyway?" Tina asked casually, a little more relaxed now that she knew that the Green Arrow was not here to kill or capture her, although she had to admit that the guy was far more of a creep than she expected.

"He hasn't done anything to me, except to vex me for being the scumbag that he is. And please, allow me to rephrase what I said. In hindsight, I realise that I may have come off as a bit of a creep..."

"You think so?" Tina retorted sarcastically.

"I know so, but in any case what I meant to say is, I know that you've been using your powers to help those in need and to get rid of the bad guys while hunting for Sean Sonus all along, and I know that once you have killed Sonus, having dedicated so much time and effort on him, in fact having made killing him the sole purpose of your existence, that you will feel lonely, empty, and without direction in your life..." Green Arrow trailed off, giving Tina a chance to digest what he said before carrying on where he left off.

"Yeah, and...?" Tina asked impatiently.

"I want to be there for you when you reach that point. I want to help you find a new meaning for your life. To be more blunt and direct, I want you to join my team, to become a part of my crusade and help me take out all the bad guys in Star City. All of that energy, that drive, and that righteous fury, I want you to redirect it towards the criminals in Star City, and help me to make it a better place, a safer place for the people of Star City."

"Star City this Star City that Star City Star City...what makes you think I have any interest in living in Star City?" Tina asked irritably.

"For one it's very close to your hometown of Central City. Secondly, I can get you back into the force, I can make sure you get into the SCPD and rebuild your life, and I can teach you how to do it without sacrificing your vigilante activies. Finally, I can give you one on one training and pass on some of my experience onto you..."

"Hold it right there mister. What makes you think you're better than me? Who says I can't train you instead." Tina asked indignantly.

"..."

"It's not because you're a girl if that's what you think..."

"Kyaaaah!" Tina snapped, with incredible speed twirling her staff into position and swinging down violently on the Green Arrow's left shoulder, right on his clavicle, determined to show him to never underestimate her again, having misinterpreted the tone and intent of his words.

Tina had expected one of three things, most likely, that she would hit her target and shatter his collar bone, that he would attempt to block it, in which case she would hit him on the arm and shatter one of the two large bones found in that area, the radius/radial bone or the ulna, or thirdly, that he would dodge the attack completely, in which case she would twirl on her feet and follow up with a swing to the left or right side of his ribcage depending on which side he dodged.

As far as she was concerned these were the only three possibilities for how things would proceed from the moment she decided to attack him, and she was partially correct in that the Green Arrow chose option two, which was to deflect the attack by bringing his left arm up to meet the staff with his forearm. However, one can only imagine her surprise when, instead of shattering the bones on her opponent's forearm, she found the full force and momentum of her attack returned to her tenfold as her staff was smacked away with a casual wave of the arm, so hard that it was sent flying out of her hands and away at an extreme velocity, the recoil effect so hard that it felt like her hands were about to explode, and probably would have sustained severe damage were it not for her meta human physiology.

For a while, it seemed as if time itself had stopped as Tina just stood there, shell shocked from what she had just seen and experienced, so shocked that her defenses were completely shut down for more than five seconds, her brain still trying to comprehend what the hell just happened. It took the growling voice of her nemesis to finally awaken her from her stupor as he calmly pointed out that she had left herself wide open, Tina instantly jumping two metres away in order to establish some distance between the two of them, because she wasn't sure how many hits she could take or even survive from a guy who could do that to her metal staff, plus there was also the matter of fact that her trump card happend to be a mid to long range attack.

 _'A recoil effect of that magnitude should have caused some serious level of damage on her hands, but apart from minuscle and temporary dose of numbness, it doesn't seem like she has sustained any damage whatsoever. Could it be that her body has a natural resistance to vibrations?'_ Green Arrow thought analystically.

"W-what the hell are you?" Tina asked warily, internally cursing herself for her inability to surpress the slight stutter and shakiness in her voice.

"I'm a meta human, just like you." The Green Arrow lied through his teeth, Tina of course totally buying the lie because, well, how else was she supposed to explain what just happened. However, there was another matter of concern because unless she was mistaken, the Green Arrow just basically told her that he already knew about her trump card, because how else would he have known that she was also a meta human unless...

 _'Oh ya, he did see me take down those two goons at the pub after all, but just because you know what's coming doesn't mean that you can stop it.'_ Tina thought confidently, neglecting to consider that the Green Arrow might have actually known about her abilities long before that incident.

"Thanks for clarifying that. Now I won't have to worry about holding back with you." Tina said with a sinister smirk as she opened her mouth and screamed as hard as she could, or would have, if she didn't suddenly find herself restrained by tendrils of cloth, one of which was choking the life out of her as it squeezed around her neck, Tina finding herself unable to move even an inch of her body as tendril after tendril wrapped around her body, the only thing she was able to do being to give the Green Arrow a combined questioning, fearful, and angry look.

"One of your many mistakes, failing to consider that I might not have come here alone. Did you not wonder why you didn't hear the the sound of impact against a wall, the street, or the pavement when I sent your staff flying?" Green Arrow said with a somewhat condescending tone, although that was unintentionally so. Tina on the other hand, despite suffocating from Ragman's hold on her, couldn't help but to find herself resisting the urge to 'attempt' to smack her forehead against her palm, after all, the Green Archer was right, she'd been so rattled by his power that she hadn't even noticed that she never did hear the sound of her staff crash landing, probably because it was caught by the same tendrills that were holding her down right now.

"Ragman, your hold around her neck is a little too tight. She'll die from strangulation at this rate." The hooded archer chasticed.

 **"My bad. I guess I got a little carried away."** Tina heard a spooky voice from behind her that terrified her to no end, deciding then and there that she would rather not see whatever it is that had a voice like that...ever.

"J-just k-kill me a-already. I'm not gonna join y-your stupid crusade and I'm c-certainly not going to beg for my l-life." Tina managed to squeeze out during a coughing fit induced by the very recent strangulation she suffered.

 **"She's quite a stubborn one."** Ragman pointed out, Tina, despite her earlier thoughts, really starting to get curious about what kind of creature it was that the Green Arrow was talking to, rueing the fact that she couldn't even turn her head around right now.

"There's no need to resist us Tina, we're not here to hurt you, and we're not going to force you to join us. However, as you can see, no matter how powerful you are, no man or woman is an island. Our teamwork has made it that we were able to incapacitate you with little to no difficulty, and that is why we need to team up and work together. You're very resourceful, determined, skilled, and powerful, we could use someone like you in our team. We can help you to improve your skills even further, and we can even help you to understand better and master your meta human powers, and of course, you can help us a great deal too, otherwise we wouldn't have come all the way here just for you." The Green Arrow said, pausing slightly to give Tina a chance to digest the information before proceeding.

"You don't have to make a decision now. Take your time and consider the offer. I mean every word that I have spoken to you. I will provide you with a new job in the SCPD, I will help you improve your skills and meta human powers, and I will be your loyal friend and ally. The only thing I ask in return is that you help me do what you've already been doing, to fight crime and to protect the innocent." Green Arrow said as he signalled for Ragman to release Tina, Ragman doing as instructed and letting go, the tendrils getting pulled back into his rags as he went and stood next to his master, Tina finally able to see the _creature_ that just recently was the source of her torment.

"Thanks for not being a total jerk and releasing me. As far as your offer is concerned, there's only one thing I can say..." Tina trailed off with a sadistic look in her eyes as she screamed her lungs out, again, as opposed to a sonic screech, nothing coming out at all from her throat, except this time she wasn't being strangled by some magical cloth, Tina rubbing her throat area with her left hand as she stared at Ragman and Green Arrow with shock, confusion, and fear in her eyes. The Green Arrow, in response, simply pointed behind her, Tina's head snapping back only for her to see a tall black man with black leather pants and a black and white leather jacket with Kevlar weaved into it, the man spotting condrolls on his head and a perculiar black face paint on his facial features. However, even more perculiar were the six cyber-machinical spheres floating around the guy and of course the device he was holding in his hand.

"Oh this? You can sense that this is the device that's inhibiting your powers huh? That's quite interesting, a side effect I didn't see coming at all. Anyway this baby right here is a sonic dampener, I originally created it just for you, but it also helped us to capture Sean Sonus for you, and by the way you can call me Mr Terrific...you know, because I'm such a terrific guy." Curtis said in a way that made Green Arrow and Ragman want to cringe, though in all honesty his introduction wasn't as lame as they expected it to be so at least they could be grateful for that.

"You captured Sean Sonus?" Tina asked anxiously.

"We're keeping him in a warehouse several blocks from here." Green Arrow said as he walked slowly and deliberately towards the prospective recruit.

"Here, take a look for yourself." Green Arrow continued, handing over a cell phone with a live feed of a restrained Sean Sonus in what really appeared to be a warehouse just as the Green Arrow said.

"What are those things restraining him?" Tina asked curiously, never having seen those type of cuffs before, if she could even call them that.

"Those are meta human suppressors. Even before discovering you we had been developing methods to restrain and detain meta humans, after all, people generally move around so we always expected that some of Central City's meta humans would end up in Star City." The Green Arrow explained.

"I see..." Tina trailed off thoughtfully, suddenly feeling vulnerable after finding out that not only did these guys have a way of suppressing her power specifically, but that they also had technology to restrain and detain all meta humans.

"You can keep the cuffs whether you decide to join us or not. I'm sure there'll come in handy. Also, the GPS app on the phone has been set to lead you to the warehouse and it also has a number you can call whenever you need us." The hooded archer added, Tina unable to believe what a nice guy the otherwise menacing archer was turning out to be.

"Why are you going so far out of your way to help me? First you capture Sean Sonus for me and now all of this? What do you gain out of all of this?" Tina asked suspiciously.

"Hopefully a new friend. Consider it a gesture of goodwill and faith. We are simply extending a hand in friendship. You've been saving and protecting innocent lives while taking out the bad guys, and you were a cop before you become a super hero. That makes you someone worthy of our trust and friendship in our eyes. Therefore, whenever you need our help, we'll be there for you, no matter what the situation." The Green Arrow spoke passionately, Ragman and Mr Terrific being reminded of why it was such an honor to work with the Green Arrow, and Tina realising the same thing for the first time.

"You really are a good guy aren't you? In a weird, creepy, and terrifying kind of way, but a good guy nonetheless." Tina said with a playful smirk on her facial features.

"Yes, I guess I am a good guy...in a weird, creepy, and terrifying kind of way." The Green Arrow retorted, causing an involuntary laugh to escape Tina's throat, the mood lightening up considerably as a result.

"Okay, I'll seriously consider your offer when I'm done with Sean Sonus. It's the least I can do to repay you for all your efforts."

"And it's the most I could ask for." The Green Arrow replied.

"..."

"We'll be returning to Star City with immediate effect. A word of caution before we go, do not, under any circumstances remove the meta human suppressors until Sean Sonus is dead. His power is that of a sonic induced virtigo, it's very dangerous, even for you." The Green Arrow warned.

"Sean had me restrained and tortutred for weeks. Make no mistake about it, I will ensure he endures what I had to endure tenfold, so don't worry about me." Tina said with a dark undertone, causing Oliver to smile darkly under his facemask.

"That's what I wanted to hear..." The Green Arrow replied with a sinister glint in his eyes.

 **Monday Afternoon: Mayor's Office**

 _ **Knock knock knock**_

"Come in!" Mayor Queen said out loud, lifting his head up from his desk for the first time today, having worked tirelessly to get through the paper work.

"Hey Ollie, I know you said you didn't want to be disturbed today, but there's a very attractive woman outside who said that she is here to see you and that you're expecting her. When I asked her what she does for a living she said that she is between jobs right now, which is weird because unless she's here for an interview, which she is obviously not given her dress code, then what is a hot, mysterious, and jobless woman coming to see the mayor for?" Thea asked suspiciously.

"It depends." Mayor Queen replied simply.

"Depends on what?"

"Depends on what she said her name is when you asked her." Oliver retorted.

"She said her name is Tina Boland." Thea answered impatiently.

"Oh..." Oliver trailed off with a jovial smile on his facial features.

"Oh my god don't tell me you're sleeping with her? I thought you were with Sus...I mean Nyssa, or whatever..." Thea asked, suddenly realising just how confusing her brother's love life was turning out to be.

"Relax, she's just a very good friend of mine. Let her in." Oliver answered, successfully managing to restrain himself from snapping at Thea for even daring to mention Susan and Nyssa's names in front of him after what she did, probably because he was all too aware of the fact that, despite her unwelcome contribution, that Thea was, in her own messed up way, trying to be a good sister, and also because he realised that he was the main reason his life was so complicated in the first place.

"Not until you tell me who she is." Thea stubbornly retorted.

"She used to be an undercover cop in Central City. I offered her a job in the ACU. She's going to be working for me, that is to say, if she is here to accept my offer." Oliver answered truthfully, although it wasn't the entire truth.

"Where did you find her? What's so special about..."

"Thea...!" Oliver interupted with an authorative and warning undertone, a tone that made it clear to Thea that she wasn't going to be getting any more answers from her big brother, which only made her determined to get the answers by herself, or rather, with the help of a certain blonde haired, bespectacled computer geek that they both know.

"Okay okay whatever! Spare me the juicy details, I mean, it aint like I'm not your beloved sister and Personal Assistant or anything like that." Thea pouted.

"..."

"Aaaarg! Fine! Whatever Ollie!" Thea exclaimed in frustration when her brother refused to budge, slamming the door on her way out as she went to get the damn woman, vowing to herself that she would dig every single bit of dirt on her if it was the last thing she did, if only just to spite Ollie, that secretive bastard!

 **Knock knock**

"Come in!" Mayor Queen said when he heard another knock at the door, having gotten up from his seat and looked out of the window and down into the city, not knowing why he was feeling so nervous all of a sudden.

"Mayor Queen sir, good afternoon." Tina said with an even tone, mentally patting herself on the back for successfully preventing her voice from betraying her nerves.

"Good afternoon Tina. I'm so glad to finally meet you. I've heard great things about you." Oliver said as he turned around and walked towards Tina, a rare but genuine smile plastered on his facial features as he shook the fierce but beautiful woman's hand firmly.

"I'm happy to meet you too. When umm... **he**...told me that I'd be working directly for you in the ACU, I went and did my research on you and the ACU, and I have learned nothing but good things about you. It's an honor sir." Tina replied with unadulterated sincerity.

"You give me too much praise, but I'm grateful nonetheless. In any case, there will be no need for an interview or an evaluation of your skills, that's how much I trust **his** judgement." Oliver explained much to Tina's surprise, not having expected the mayor to so freely express how close his relationship with **him** was, more especially to her, since this was the first time that they had met in person.

"If I may ask sir, what exactly is your relationship with him? You've been arrested twice now under suspicions of being him, and both times you were proven innocent, but if it wasn't for the fact that I saw him standing next to you on more than one press conference, and that the SCPD, ACU, and Deputy Mayor all went on a mission to take out Tobias with both you and him present, I can't say I wouldn't be thinking that you and him were the same person. So what exactly is your relationship with him, do you know his secret identity?" Tina asked boldly, Oliver unable to help it but to admire her blunt honesty and bravery, quite liking the idea of working with a straight shooter like her.

 _'I'll probably never have to wonder what she's thinking. She seems like the type that speaks her mind no matter the situation or the circumstances.'_ Oliver thought analytically.

"Yes, I know his secret identity. His real name is Oliver Queen." Oliver said, Tina not sure whether he was joking or not, that was of course, until she saw the serious expression on his facial features.

"B-but how? The press conference, the mission and..."

"A very convincing double. He's another friend of mine who happens to be an expert in disguise, so much so that in way, one can say, for as long as the contract is in place, he almost literally becomes the client himself as opposed to just pretending. It's his special ability." Oliver explained as best he could.

"I see...so Roy Harper..."

"Wasn't the real Arrow. He took the fall for me...against my best wishes." Oliver clarified.

"He must have admired you a lot to have gone that far to protect your identity. He must have really believed in the work that you were...are doing." Tina said with a tone and a look in her eyes that was also laced with admiration.

"Yes, I suppose he did. I just wish there was some way for me to repay him."

"The only way is to continue to do what you're doing, and I'm going to be there from now on to make sure you don't slack off." Tina said with a that confident smirk of hers.

"I'm glad to hear that. Later I will show you around our headquarters and introduce you to the crew, but for now let's get your paperwok done and make official your employment in the ACU..."

"Ummm...before that, there's something I need to tell you. My real name is not Tina Boland, it's Dinah Drake."

"I know."

"You do? Then why didn't you say anything? Why did you keep calling me Tina..."

"Because it means so much more to hear it coming directly from you. I wanted you to tell me of your own free will, when you were ready, in the same way that I revealed my secret to you. This makes us brother and sister, meaning that I'd do anything for you from here on out, even die for you." Oliver said with so much conviction and determination in his eyes that Dinah felt like she could almost reach out and grab it by the palm of her hand.

"I...aahm...likewise. I will do anything for you and the team, even at the cost of my life." Dinah declared, initially fumbling over her words as she felt overwhelmed by the mayor's declaration.

"Welcome to the team, Dinah Drake, our new Black Canary." Oliver said as he pulled Dinah into a warm hug, Dinah just standing there doing nothing as she was caught off guard by the affection the mayor was displaying towards her, not realising that part of that emotion stemmed from the fact that the previous canary had been someone very dear to the mayor, and by recruiting her, he had just fulfilled an important promise that he had made to said person.

"Are you usually this affectionate with your employees?" Dinah asked curiously, even though her tone and body language did not suggest that she was objecting at all as she returned the hug.

"Only with those that are part of the family...but don't get used to it." Oliver retorted much to Dinah's amusement, an involuntary chuckle escaping the clutches of her vocal cords.

"Too bad, I was really looking forward to enjoying many more of these mayoral hugs." Dinah retorted, this time Oliver being the one failing to stop a chuckle from escaping his throat.

 **That evening: Undisclosed Location**

"Oliver you're back!...I...what I meant to say is, I didn't expect you to return so soon, Ra's Al Ghul-sama."Tatsu said with a respectful bow of the head, not very happy at all with Oliver's swift return, having wanted to have some more time to convince her newly ressurrected husband to leave the League of Assassins so that they can rebuild their life together.

Maseo had refused her offer of course, and to be honest, she didn't know why she had expected any different, or perhaps she had been hoping that death would have provided a new perspective on life for him. To be fair, his reasons were understandable, after all, Oliver was the one who went out of his way to keep her husband's body in stasis, and he was also the one who had probably sacrificed something huge in order to get that insufferable blonde haired warlock to free her husband from the clutches of her sword. Maseo was too honorable, he would do anything to show his gratitude to Oliver, even if it meant casting her aside once again, although ironically enough, one would have to wonder how truly honorable is a man who would abandon his loyal and faithful wife.

"You don't seem very happy to see us Katana dear, how ungrateful of you. Has my husband not gone out of his way to rescue your husband from the cold embrace of death itself?" Nyssa said on her husband's behalf, the displeasure in her tone uniquivocal whatsoever, her mood not having been helped by Oliver insisting that they escort the blonde haired lunatic of a warlock back to his apartment when the man could just as easily teleport himself back there for God's sake.

She wasn't wearing a casual outfit anymore, that is to say, unlike the time that she snatched her husband from that meddling harpy of a reporter, now dressed in her favorite league uniform complete with her weapon's arsenal. Her husband was wearing his Green Arrow outfit, but with Ra's Al Ghul's ring, dagger, and sword added to his weapon's arsenal.

Tatsu was also wearing her alter ego outfit, but had taken the mask off when she confirmed that Nyssa hadn't in fact been leading her to a trap. Maseo had originally been naked but was now too wearing his league of assassins uniform, the one that Oliver had fixed and kept safe for him along with his weapons.

"It's okay Nyssa. She has every reason not to like me, besides, I'm sure she would have liked to have enjoyed a little more alone time with her husband. Surely, as a married couple ourselves, we can sympathise with their predicament." Oliver interceded diplomatically, definitely not wishing to be anywhere near a cat fight between a couple of women as dangerous as these two were.

"You're too kind husband, but now is not the time for us to have that conversation. Rest assured however that we will be having this conversation at a more appropriate time.." Nyssa said with a tone that made it clear that she was not going to let the issue go just like that.

"Of course, and thank you for your compliance and understanding, beloved wife." Oliver said with a respectful but also authorative tone.

"Now, Maseo, the oath you made to the league must be honored up until death, but since you already died, and not in the mere technical sense of your heart stopping for a few minutes, but actual death, that means that you are no longer bound by that oath and are in fact free to do as you please with your life." Oliver said much to everyone's surprise, but more especially the wives, Tatsu's eyes filling up with hope at Oliver's declaration but Nyssa's darkening with confusion and anger.

"Husband!"

"No, Nyssa! You of all people know the rules better than anyone in the league. You know my words to be nothing but the truth."

"But I thought you said...!"

"I know what I said, I am merely, metaphorically speaking, reading Maseo his rights." Oliver cut Nyssa off swiftly, Nyssa looking like she could literally bite Oliver's head off right now that's how utterly furious and frustrated she was at her husband's thick headedness.

"Are you saying that you will release my husband from his oath?" Tatsu asked hopefully.

"I'm saying I know longer have the power to keep or release him. He is a free man...so long as he keeps our secrets." Oliver said with a grave undertone.

"That goes without saying, Ra's Al Ghul-sama. I assure you, we will not utter a word.."

"It doesn't matter...!" Maseo interupted suddenly.

"W-what?" Tatsu asked with concern laced all over her tone.

"I'll simply make a new oath and rejoin the league. My old life is gone, there's nothing left for Maseo. I am Sarab of the League of Assassins, my word is my bond. My heart, soul, body, and destiny I surrender to your will, Lord Ra's Al Ghul..." Sarab trailed off as his wife slapped him hard across the face, so hard that, despite the size difference between them, he was sent crashing onto the floor, Oliver not sure if it was because of Katana's strength, Maseo being caught off guard, or because Maseo was still adjusting to his body after having been frozen for so long.

"What have I done to you? Why are you punishing me for what happened to our son? Was it my fault! Do you think I am responsible for his death!" Tatsu cried in anguish.

"H-how do you expect me to look you in the eye everyday when you have the same eyes as he did? Every time I look at you I see him, a constant reminder of my failure. I failed him...I failed you...!" Maseo retorted with a look full of so much anguish it was almost as if he was in physical pain.

"Sarab, I am glad you have decided to renew your oath to the league, and as your lord, I command you not to further embarass the league with your cowardice." Oliver ordered with all the power and authority vested in him, completely stunning all the people that were present, none moreso than Tatsu, who wasn't quite sure she could believe that Oliver was standing up for her to her husband, especially considering the way she had treated him over the years.

"My Lord..."

"Sarab. You forget that I was very much a part of the events that lead to the premature passing of your son, and I was there when he took his last breaths. Your son, even in death, was proud of the man you once were, but if he saw what has become of you, he would vomit. I wouldn't be surprised if he is looking down at you in shame as we speak." Oliver said harshly, a calm but dangerous anger permeating his entire aura and demeanor.

"My Lord, I mean no disrespect, but you have no right..."

"On the contrary...!" Oliver interupted swiftly.

"I have every right, for not only am I your Lord and master, but I am your friend as well. You're not the first or the last person to lose a son, and you're not the only one who knows about loss. My father shot himself right in front of me, and my master, who was also my lover, along with my mother, were both murdered right in front of me by mad men. I even had to kill someone I cared for deeply in order to save her soul." Oliver explained, taking a small breathe to allow everyone to digest the information before carrying on from where he left off.

"What did I do when all of those things happened to me? Did I desert the people that were still alive and needed me? Did I run away from all of my responsibilities? Did I punish the very people I should be comforting? Is this what your son would have wanted? Just who do you think it is he loved more than anyone in the world? You think he would appreciate you breaking her heart over and over again?" Oliver chasticed angrily, Maseo unable to do anything but to bow his head in shame and embarassment.

"B-but what am I supposed to do my Lord? I am a member of the league now, the rules say that we are not to have attachments outside of the fold. How can I make everything up to her while I'm in the league, and even if I could try, is it even possible after everything I did to her? After betraying her the way I did?" Sarab retorted, completely at a loss at what to do, and unable to believe how much of a wonderful woman his wife was to have endured so much, to have fought for him so hard and for so long when many, maybe even the majority of other women would have given up and moved on with their lives long ago.

"It is true that league members are not allowed to have such strong attachments outside of the league, which is why I will extend a welcoming hand to your wife to join the league. There are about to be a lot of changes in the league, because every Ra's has the authority to shape the league as he sees fit. It will be a better league than the one you remember. However, in making your decision, Tatsu, be aware that, as a league couple, you will have the obligation to train your children from a young age to become worthy members of the league." Oliver explained, taking a moment to catch his breathe before continuing from where he left off.

"We will build a league of assassins academy program, where the children of league assassins will be educated and also trained in the ways of the league, but also, as parents, you will train and prepare your children for their education. It will be a safe haven for the kids and they will be groomed to be the heroes of tommorrow, and your successors. Do not worry, if your child wants to be a lawyer, doctor, rocket scientist, inventor, or whatever it is that he or she dreams of, the opportunities will be made available, after all, we will need to grow and evolve hand in hand with the world we seek to protect, in fact preferably at a faster rate...a much faster rate." Oliver said with such conviction and clarity that it was almost as if he was painting his words on a canvas, making that his audience could see in their minds an image of what he was talking about.

"This...is a lot to take in." Sarab thought out loud, Katana on the other hand looking like a dear caught in headlights as she was completely blindsided, not at all expecting that she would ever get an invitation to join the league, never having even considered joining as well.

"I understand, it is indeed a lot to take in, that is why I am giving you a week of leave from your duties and obligations. Spend that time with your wife, reconcile your differences and make a decision together. I wanted to give the two of you a chance to walk away from all of this and start anew but instead you hastily renewed your oath to the league. However, I am now giving you another opportunity, to rebuild your life together, within the league, as protectors of the world..."

"You mean as assassins!" Katana spat.

"Yes, that too." Oliver said as if he was merely talking about the day's weather forecast.

"..."

"We will meet here in exactly one week, at the same exact time as this very moment. Sarab will come with me no matter what you decide, but I am hoping you will be joining us too, Katana." Oliver said with all the sincerity in his heart, hoping that he and Tatsu can finally put aside the one sided hate that amounted to most of what constituted their relationship, Tatsu not bothering to offer a response to Ra's Al Ghul, barely managing to look at him at all, and Nyssa on the other hand barely stopping herself from removing the head from the, in her mind, ungrateful slab of feacies that was Sarab's wife.

"Thank you, my Lord. I can never repay you for all that you have done for me. I promise to use wisely the time that you have so graciously given to me and my wife." Sarab said respectfully.

"You and your wife revived me when my predecessor threw me off a clip, ressurrecting you was the least I could do. You don't owe me anything Sarab, you and I...our bond is beyond such petty sentiments. I will always be there for you whenever you need me, that goes for you too, Katana." Oliver said with a small bow of the head before upruptly turning on his heel and walking away, his wife not too far behind him as she quickly caught up to him, displeasure written all over her facial features.

"What on God's planet is it with that...witch! Why do you let her treat you like that?" Nyssa asked angrily.

"She's a grieving mother. Even though it was so long ago, Sarab has never allowed her to grieve properly, nor has he been there for her as he was supposed to after she lost her only child."

"What on earth does that have to do with you?" Nyssa asked incredulously.

"I was there when it happened. To her, my arrival into their lives was the beginning of all the bad things that happened in her life. The people truly responsible for the bad things that happened to her family are dead or in the case of China White, imprisoned. I am the only one left to whom she can direct her anger and hatred." Oliver explained.

"That doesn't make it right! How can you accept that? Are you some kind of masochist?" Nyssa asked with even more incredulity in her tone, if that was even possible.

"No it doesn't, but I too was close to Akio, and I too failed him that day. I feel the weight and pain of his loss too, maybe not to the same extent as they do, but to some degree. That is why I suppose I am more understanding of her feelings than most people." Oliver explained, Nyssa's eyes softening a bit at that, catching a glimpse of a side to her husband that she never knew existed.

 _'Is this what Sara saw in him? Is this why she loved him so much, that she was willing to leave me and the league at any cost in order to be with him? This man, he is not like any other I have met before.'_ Nyssa thought to herself.

 _'I wonder if father saw the same things that I see now. Is that why he wanted him to be his successor so badly? Have I been the blind one all this time?'_ Nyssa thought introspectively, not even realising the true scope and depth of the feelings that she was developing for the man she calls husband.

"Today I will recall Christopher Chance. I can't be sure if he'll be availabe or not, he could be on some other mission. However, if he is availabe, you and I will depart next week after we get a response from Sarab and Katana. We will go and collect our people." Oliver declared, effectively breaking Nyssa out of her reverie.

"As happy as I am to hear that dear husband, we have yet to adress the metaphorical elephant in the metaphorical room." Nyssa said with concern in her tone, Oliver doing well to stop himself from laughing at the stiff and 'proper' manner of speaking that his wife exhibited, a laugh he would have freely let out were it not for the fact that he didn't want her to think that he wasn't taking her seriously.

"And what is this metaphorical elephant you speak of?" Oliver asked curiously.

"The fact that Nanda Parbat has been compromised, and the fact that we have no place to harbour our army once it has been gathered." Nyssa pointed out, hoping beyond hope that her husband had some kind of plan to fix this mess. Too many people knew the location of Nanda Parbat and it was never exactly much of a fortress anyway once you knew where the place was. On top of that, she couldn't think of any place where one could hide a community of assasins in Star City, especially with the changes Oliver was planning to make in mind.

"I do have a plan for that actually. You know, more than most, how powerful and resourceful my adversaries have been. From Dark Archer, Deathstroke, my predecessor, and all the way to Damian Darhk. These men, all of them, were intelligent and resourceful, and even though we had different phylosophies and believes, that doesn't mean there weren't any life lessons to be learned from them, or traits to be admired and mimicked..."

"I really do hope there is a point to all of this rambling." Nyssa interupted, Oliver suddenly stopping in his tracks and looking her straight in the eyes, Nyssa, for a moment, fearing that she had maybe finally stepped over the line and was about to be 'put in her place'.

"B-beloved I..."

"Do you remember the nuclear terrorist attack Damian Darhk attempted on the entire world? The one that my team and I stopped." Oliver interupted, Nyssa not knowing whether she should sigh in relief for the fact that her husband wasn't angry with her or to be wary about where this conversation was heading.

"Yes I do. From what I understand he was planning an armageddon, to destroy the world as it is and rebuild from scratch. I don't understand what this has to do with anything?"

"It has everything to do with everything. The world knows about Damian's attempt to destroy the world, but what they don't know is how exactly he was planning to survive this world ending incident. The world doesn't know the true meaning behind the name _Hive_ " Oliver said cryptically.

"Am I going to have to decipher this encryted dialogue of yours?" Nyssa asked irritably, wishing that her husband would just get to the point, although if Oliver cared at all about her impatience or any of her witty remarks, he certainly was very good at hiding it.

"To summarise it, Damian Darhk created a whole world for himself and his chosen few, an underground world. Even I have to admit the man was quite the visionary, quite simply amazing in all honesty." Oliver said with a great deal of respect and admiration, albeit grudgingly so as he had to remind himself that the guy was also a total nutjob that killed Laurel and wanted to destroy the world.

"What do you mean by _underground world_?" Nyssa asked curiously.

"His secret underground bunker looked exactly like the surface, with a fake sun, fake moon, fake daylight, fake night time, housing, shopping centres, malls, farms, schools, you name it. If you had lost consciousness on the surface and then woke up there, you wouldn't have known the difference, I mean, you would have probably figured it out because of who you are, but a normal person could have stayed there for years without suspecting a thing." Oliver explained much to Nyssa's surprise, the royal princess, and now queen unable to suspend her disbelief about the words that were coming out of her husband's lips, that is of course until his earlier words to Sarab and his wife, as if someone pressed the play button, replayed in her mind.

 _ **It will be a safe haven for the kids**_

 _ **We will build a league of assassins academy program**_

 _ **Do not worry, if your child wants to be a lawyer, doctor, rocket scientist, inventor, or whatever it is that he dreams of, the opportunities will be made available**_

 _ **we will need to grow and evolve hand in hand with the world we seek to protect, in fact preferably at a faster rate...a much faster rate.**_

 _'It all makes sense now. Everything he said will be possible in this League Of Assassins world that he seeks to create. But how will he make this happen?'_ Nyssa wondered to herself, and as if reading her mind, her husband began to explain exactly how he planned to make this all possible.

"Me and my team destroyed Damian's Hive and erased all traces of information relating to it. We didn't want anyone else getting any armegeddon ideas. Naturally, I kept a copy of everything for myself, I've learned that you never know where life might take you, and what skills and resources you might need in the future. My life itself is a testament to that. A day after you ummm...paid me visit at Susan's place, I used my monetary resources to set up a contruction company under an alias. This company has been created solely for the purpose of re-engineering Damian Darhk's Hive."

"Except it won't be Damian Dark's Hive, it will be the League Of Assassin's Hive. Still, it begs the question, what are you going to do with the construction workers once they're done building our new home? Surely you can't just make them pinky swear not to tell anyone about our secret base."Nyssa asked curiously, knowing all too well about her husband's reservations about killing the innocent.

"The company has exactly 96 workers, all aliases of course." Oliver said as if that was supposed to explain everything, which it did of course as that was the exact number of the the remaining assasins, including the two that were still loyal to her, which meant that Oliver planned to use league human resources to build the base.

"What an amazing and brilliant man you are my handsome, intelligent, and resourceful husband!" Nyssa exclaimed joyfully, jumping into her husband's embrace as she giggled diabolically, if such a thing even existed, Oliver unable to help but to be infected by her happy mood as he picked her up off her feet and swung her around, the two of them looking as happy and carefree as a normal, newly wed couple.

"We should hurry up and get back home husband." Nyssa said with a serious tone and expression once Oliver put her down, a total contrast to her very recent jovial and carefree mood.

"Why? What's going on?" Oliver asked with concern.

"Because dear husband..." Nyssa trailed off, a mischievious smirk splitting her face into two, the look in her eyes sending goosebumps all over Oliver's spine.

"I believe you're going to get a well deserved lay tonight..."

 **Same Night: Central City**

 _'First thing I'm going to do when I get out of here is drop Star Labs on top of Flash and all of his precious friends!'_ One Dinah Laurel Lance thought vindictively.

She'd been stuck in this cell long enough to go crazy more than twenty times already, at least as far as she was concerned, because some might say she was crazy long before she was locked up by the Flash. More than being stuck however, she hated mostly the sheer hypocricy of the whole situation as she had been locked up with no trial or due process, never being afforded what should be her most basic rights, and yet this man dared to pretend to be the embodiment of justice, dared to look down on her and her fellow cell mates even though he was just as guilty as they were.

What made matters worse was that, on some level, she knew that the Flash was aware of the lack of intergrity of his actions and just did whatever he wanted anyway, after all, she was quite certain that he hadn't told Green Arrow about her because otherwise there was no way he wouldn't have visited her already. He might have even attempted to convince Flash to let her out, but she'd like to think he would have either stealthily or forcefully broken her out of jail, that was of course, before she made him pay dearly for cheating on her with her sister and then dying on her, denying her even the chance to make him pay for his betrayal.

Sure, she knew it wasn't the same Oliver as the one from her earth, but he had pretty much done the same thing to this Earth's version of her, in fact, this Oliver was worse because instead of dying, he'd done something even worse by getting earth one Laurel killed by Damian Darhk instead. He deserved to pay for what he had done. She should have made him pay already, Zoom had promised her a chance to get her revenge if she helped him take out the Flash and take over Central City, she never expected Zoom to be defeated by Flash, especially after she had such an easy time with him, perhaps there was some truth to the saying that _styles make fights_ after all.

 _'Damn you Zoom and your empty promises!'_ Laurel thought in frustration, that was of course, before she was broken out of her internal musings as the lights in and around her cell suddenly switched on, much to her surprise as she had thought that team Flash had gone home early tonight due to crime inactivity on this particular night.

"Who the hell are you, hoody? A new member of team Flawed?" Laurel asked with snarl come smirk on her facial features, never having seen this person before at Star Labs neither before or after she was incarcerated.

Laurel couldn't help but notice that this woman's outfit was eerily similar to that of the Green Arrow, as this person was wearing a green hood, was carrying a bow, and had a quiver full of arrows strapped to her back. For a moment she even held hope that the love of her life, who she hated, had actually come to rescue her just as she hoped he would, but the clearly feminine and lithe figure of the person told her otherwise.

"Dinah Laurel Lance of earth 2, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Talia, and I come bearing good news." The woman said as she removed her hood to reveal, just as Laurel suspected, the face of a beautiful woman, Laurel bitterly wondering if this woman was the Green Arrow's girlfriend and that he had sent this person to save her instead of coming to get her himself.

"Good news huh? Why don't you open this door and tell me all about it in person?"

 _'So that I can gladly watch you bleed to death through your eyes, nose, mouth, and ears as I scream you to death!'_ Laurel thought with righteous indignity, almost as if she had already convinced herself that her internal musings, full of misconceptions, were in fact the truth.

"Oh you'll get out of there pretty soon, I promise you that. Unfortunately it won't be today and I won't be the one to let you out. However, before anything else is said and done, I would like to hear about your relationship with Oliver Queen. How do you feel about him? And yes, your escape from that cell hinges entirely on the honesty with which you answer my questions." Talia asked curiously, Laurel unable to believe how calm and composed this person was considering that she was fairly certain that this woman had illegally entered this building, because there was no way Flash would allow someone who even considered releasing her out into the world anywhere near her.

"I love him to death, which is why he will die by my hand...well actually by my vocal cords but it sounds better when I say by my hand." Laurel replied casually, as if it was the most normal thing in the world to kill someone that you love as dearly as she was professing to love the mayor of Star City.

"How interesting that we feel exactly the same way about dear Oliver. You see he was one of my apprentices, my most prized and talented one, and I loved him to pieces. He was my pride and joy, and I would have done almost anything for him, until of course he used the skills and tactics I taught him to slaughter my very own father. There is nothing worse than the betrayal of a loved one, even for a cold and unfeeling woman." Talia said with a pained facial expression.

"Aaah I see...you want to hurt Ollie mentally and emotionally before you kill him, and you are here because you believe that you and I have common interests. You believe that I am the knife that will cut the deepest into his heart."

"You catch on very fast Ms Lance. However you are wrong about one thing. I have no desire to kill Oliver Queen, only those closest and dearest to him. I wish for him to suffer, and for him to know that he brought it all upon himself. If however at some point in the future you decide to kill him, well, there is nothing I can do about that I'm afraid." Talia said with a casual shrug of the shoulders.

"I'm beginning to like this plan of yours more and more, and you haven't even told me what it is yet." Laurel said with sinister glint in her eyes.

"Yes well, before I get to that, let me warn you, there will be consequences should you decide to betray me. You may think that you can take me on because you're a meta human who can take down skyscrapers in an instant, but you would be assuming that I would fight you in open battle. I was taught and raised in the ways of old, I am the demon that lurks in the shadows, the serpent that strikes when you least expect it. You might be in the shower, you might be drinking coffee at the cafe, you might be at work earning a living or you might be sitting on the toilet seat. It might be poison in your drink, it might be an arrow through the head, a stab wound from the back with a sword or it might even be a well planned accident. I can kill you in a million different ways, in a million different places, under a million different circumstances, with a million different weapons. I'm not someone you want to cross, Ms Lance." Talia said with a grave undertone, Laurel's eyes widening wider and wider with every word that escaped from Talia's lips , having never felt as intimidated as she did right now since Zoom died.

"And if...by some miracle, you managed to evade my attempts and killed me, my acolytes would come after you the same million different ways that I came after you, for mine is the League of Shadows." Talia said theatrically, unable to withold the triumphant smirk from splitting her face into two when she saw the look of unadulterated fear and concern on Black Siren's facial features.

 _'Strike fear in the dog and you can make it perform any number of tricks that you want.'_ Talia mused internally.

"Now, onto the plan. This is what's going to happen..."

 **End Chapter**

 **This is the end of Part 1 of Inter-Universe Love. This was mostly a set up chapter, but I hope it was at least readable.**

 **The next chapter will be part 2, and then finally there will be part three. I know the title of this mini arc sounds corny and maybe Inter-Dimensional Love would have sounded better, but I didn't want to use 'dimension' because I suspect the word is used in a different context in the arrowverse. I could be wrong but I don't think I've heard even one character refer to other earths or people from other earths as people from 'another dimension'.**

 **They seem to specifically use the term 'parallel universe.' The only time I've heard people use that word (dimension) is when they refer to fifth dimensional beings like Mxyptlk or Music Meister. This makes me believe that there is a difference between a different dimension and a parallel universe. So just to be safe I named the mini arc 'Inter-Universal Love', and yes, it will be Black Siren/Green Arrow centric.**

 **There will be no preview released this time because the same preview as last chapter applies for the whole mini arc.**

 **Talia breaking into Star Labs instead of Prometheus, women scorned finding common ground? But will everything go as Talia intends?**

 **Thank you very much, and I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I will be answering the reviews I haven't answered yet tommorrow.**

 **Thanks again and take care.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Arrowverse or any other series I might use for inspiration.

 _ **Inter-Universal Love**_

 _ **Part 2**_

 _It's been three weeks now, three weeks since I received evidence of the existence of a Laurel's inter-universal doppelganger, three weeks since I collected my people and brought them to Star City, and three weeks since Prometheus started killing people whose names are anagrams of the people that The Hood killed. Needless to say, it's been a very busy three weeks for both the Green Arrow and Mayor Queen, a busy and troublesome three weeks._

 _I've dealt with these kind of games before, perhaps not quite at this level, but close enough to equip me to deal with such a situation. For one, the timing of Prometheus's rebellion and the reception of the Laurel information cannot possibly be coincidental. It's obvious to me that Prometheus is trying to pull me in different directions, to distract me so that he can do whatever it is that he has planned for me, for Star City, or for my friends and family._

 _The most obvious thing however is that Prometheus believes that he knows me, he thinks that he knows me extemely well. In fact, it's possible that he might even think that he knows me better than I know myself. I don't think he's entirely wrong to believe that, at least, that would be the case if Laurel's death hadn't impacted me the way that it did._

 _Before her death, my determination was tethered on shaky ground and I was unsure of myself, needing validation and approval of my actions from my peers and family, or from anyone who was willing to provide it really. In many ways I was still that clueless and insecure kid who got stranded on the island, and Prometheus seems to be operating under the belief that I am still that person, in other words, his information about me is severely outdated, and that will be his undoing._

 _Prometheus starting to kill innocent people on the same day that I received the anonymous package revealing Laurel Lance from earth 2? I think that this is because he wanted me to leave the city and go after Laurel Lance, or he wanted me to agonize over the fact that I couldn't go and save her because of all the trouble he was causing for the city and the mayor. The fact that Human Target was already out of the city and was unavailable for hire when all of this happened has confirmed to me that Prometheus isn't just Talia's apprentice, but is actually working with her hand in hand to destroy me. I was in denial about it for quite a while but it is becoming more and more apparent that she is co-operating with him. The only question is whether she is doing so willingly or under duress, the latter, hard as it is to admit, being unlikely._

 _Talia has brilliant detective skills, certainly the best I have seen in my lifetime. It is only a matter of time before she finds out about the existence of my son, William, I cannot have them use him against me, I cannot put him in that kind of danger. I was content to play along with their games while Prometheus was killing the bad guys, but killing innocent people just because they have the same names and surnames as the people The Hood killed? That's just taking it too far. I can't allow this insanity to continue, and I won't let them touch my son._

 _I was hoping for a round one knockout when I anonymously had Susan release through the media a security camera feed of Prometheus taking off his mask and information linking Adrian Chase to Simon Morrison and Simon Morrison to Prometheus. However, Prometheus managed to escape the attentions of the SCPD and has disappeared with his name. I have since followed that up by putting his wife into protective custody, again, and I have enforced a curfew on the city. There are also wanted posters all over the city and Captain Pike, under my 'advisement' has ordered an official manhunt with a shoot to kill order. I have also used my monetary resources to put up a bounty of one million dollars for information that leads to the capture or elimination of Adrian Chase, after all, money makes the world go round._

 _Ordering another state of martial law would have been too much I felt, especially for one man. Also, if we do that every time there is a dangerous criminal then it will make us too predictable and easy to manipulate in the future. I have to always keep one eye on the future in every decision that I make. In any case Chase's movements will be limited from now on, he won't move around so easily in town. I was hoping this would force Talia to take the steering wheel, force her to attempt to do the things that Chase can no longer do because of the manhunt. However, she has resisted thus far, I'm guessing she saw through my plan. No matter, I have something in store for her too._

"Is your pride more important than you life? Why won't you listen to me?" Oliver asked with concern written all over his tone and facial expression.

"I'm not moving in with a married man! I can't believe you would even ask me that with a straight face!" Susan exclaimed angrily, unable to comprehend the nerve this man had to dare to ask such a thing of her after everything that happened.

"It would only be temporary, until Adrian Chase is dead. Susan, I told you to release that information anonymously but you went public with it. That means that Prometheus knows that you and I are connected. Do you know how much danger you have put yourself in? It will make it easier for me to protect you if you..."

"The answer is no! I'm not going to live with you! You betrayed me! And even if I wanted to live with you, I'd probably be in more danger than I am right now. Who's to say that your wife won't slit my throat as soon as I enter the house." Susan argued.

"She wouldn't do..." Oliver stopped uprubtly, realising that in actuality he really couldn't say whether Nyssa would kill Susan or not.

"She's out of town. I sent her on an important errand. If she succeeds in her mission then Chase could be dead by the end of the week." Oliver explained patiently.

"What kind of mission...actually you know what I'm better off not knowing, but whether you're telling the truth or not, I'm still not moving in with you, especially when I have to sneak in while your sociopathic **wife** is away." The talented journalist retorted, putting emphasis on the word 'wife', clearly not getting over the fact that Oliver was married, although to be fair, she had every right to be bothered by it.

"Okay, I guess there's no way I'm going to change your mind then. Still, don't you think it's about time we talked? I mean, it's been four weeks already. You asked me to give you space and I have, and you said you'd contact me when you've made a decision but you haven't." Oliver asked, deciding that now was as good a time as any to change the topic. It's not like he expected Susan to accept his proposal, which is why he already had his acolytes shadowing her at all times of the day. He had four watching her house, four watching her work place, and three following her around whenever she left either of those places. That was a total of eleven of his best soldiers that he had dedicated to her protection.

He'd been deliberating on whether to tell her about her secret protective detail or not, and this proposal he just made had just been a way to gauge what her potential reaction to being watched 24/7 by his men would be, and given the amount of defiance she had shown him just now, he'd decided that it was best, for both their sakes, if she didn't know about her protective detail.

"Seriously? You think now is a good time for that?"

"There will never be a good time Susan. This is my life, it will always be like this. If you want to pospone the talk because things are hectic then you might as well pospone it forever, because this is just another day in the life of Oliver Queen." Oliver retorted.

"Fine!" Susan replied, grudgingly accepting that Oliver had quite a point because his life really was full of, for lack of a better term, weird and dangerous shit.

"..."

"So...what's the verdict?" Oliver asked curiously.

"I care about you, a lot! In fact, the more I think about how selfless and brave you've been and still are, the more I find myself falling for you...but Oliver, you're married. Married! And you just renewed your vows and made some creepy blood bond thing with your wife. Clearly you're not devorcing her anytime soon, if ever. I don't even think it's possible for you to devorce her, she certainly wouldn't allow it even if it was. Sure, she spoke about concubines but I'm sorry Oliver no matter how much I care about you, I'm no one's concubine and I'm certainly not side chick material. I won't reduce myself to either of those things..." Susan trailed off, leaving Oliver to fill in the rest for himself.

"You're right. I am a married man, and I'm no ordinary married man nor is mine an ordinary wife. You're an amazing woman Susan, and you deserve to be number one. You deserve to be with a man who will treat you like you're his entire world. As Ra's Al Ghul, Green Arrow, and as Mayor Queen, it would have already been extremely difficult to give you everything you deserve because of my responsibilities, add the fact that I'm married and well, here we are." Oliver said, taking a small breathe before carrying on from where he left off.

"I want you to know that I too was already falling for you, there's no doubt in my mind that ours would have been a great love. I'll always care about you and I'll always do my best to protect you. Don't ever forget that." Oliver said as he pulled Susan into a tight and warm hug, Susan returning the hug as she wept on Oliver's shoulder.

"It's not fair. Why do you have to carry everyone's burdens on your shoulders? How do you even do all of this without breaking? Just what are you made of?" Susan whimpered, the realisation that this was the official end of their very short lived relationship hitting her harder than she anticipated.

"It's the good ones like you that keep me motivated. If there is even one of you in Star City then it is worth all the sacrifices it takes for me to protect the city. I'm so happy that I got to meet you, Susan, and even if we can't be together, I'm hoping that we can at least be friends. Would that be okay with you?" Oliver asked, Susan, not trusting her voice, simply nustling her head into the crook of Oliver's neck, the mayor smiling softly as he tighened his hold on her just a little bit.

 **Snowy Mountain Range: Undisclosed Location**

"My Lady, it says **Demon** on the entrance, but I've never seen or heard of this place before. Is this a new secret outpost for the league?" One of the ten strong men that Oliver assigned to accompany Nyssa asked with a curious but also confused tone.

"I...I don't know. My husband told me that there were a great number of secrets that my father shared with him as he was being groomed to take the throne, however, I do not believe this is one of them. Lord Ra's Al Ghul told me that this place belongs to his former mentor, before he ever joined the league or returned to Star City. He also believes that the psychopath who calls himself Prometheus is a student of the same master." Nyssa explained.

"I mean no disrespect my lady, but if that is the case, wouldn't it have been better for Lord Ra's Al Ghul to be present?" The man asked again.

"None taken Alhifr, for I posed the same question to my husband when he ordered this mission. However, according to him, there lay answers for me too beyond these walls." Nyssa explained to the man known as 'The Drill'.

"In that case, shall we enter?"

"Do you even have to ask." Nyssa said as she kicked the doors open, all eyes on her as the students who were training inside the monestary turned their eyes to her and her companions, surprise visible in their eyes and stances as they didn't seem to have been expecting visitors, and certainly not the eleven ninja assassins kind.

"Aaaah...hand to hand combat sparring, brings back the old days. I do oh so deeply apologise for barging in like this but I'm in urgent need of a word with your master." Nyssa said with a very casual but confident tone.

"Who are you and what do you want here?" One of the students, a young woman, demanded to know.

"I'm sorry, did my polite tone somehow imply that you have the authority to ask questions of me?" Nyssa asked retorically, giving a subtle signal to her men, the men, in the blink of an eye, drawing their bows and shooting down every one of the students bar one, ironically said one being the one who was probably most deserving of an arrow through the shoulder, at least as far as Nyssa was concerned.

"Now...unless you want the next volley of arrows to be the harbingers of death for you and your colleagues, I'd suggest you get going. Your master...now!" Nyssa ordered with a grave undertone.

"So cruel, so vicious, so...uncompromising. I love it, beloved little sister." An effeminate voice could be heard from up on the stairs, a voice, tone, and accent eerily similar to Nyssa's own her men couldn't help but to notice.

"M-master! I'm sorry I..."

"It's okay my precious student. I know you would have died before allowing them passage, but you are of no use to me dead." The woman, now identified as indeed the master of this monestary, replied as she slowly and deliberately walked down the stairs, her outfit, consisting of a hood and quiver of arrows, along with her accent and mannerisms, drawing feelings of nostalgia for Nyssa and her men, the similarities between this woman and this place with Nyssa and the league respectively unmistakable at this point, and of course there was the fact that she just reffered to Nyssa as her beloved little sister.

"T-thank you, master."

"No need to thank me. Just take your brothers and sisters to the treatment room, I'll handle my sister and her goons." The mysterious woman said as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Without the intention to be rude, but who the hell are you, and why do you keep calling me your sister?" Nyssa asked incredulously.

"You wound my heart beloved sister, you don't recognise me?"

"Perhaps that might have something to do with the bloody hood that's covering your entire head wouldn't you say?" Nyssa retorted with a tongue laced to the brim with incredule.

"Young people, so blind, so impatient." The woman chasticed condescendingly, nevertheless moving her hands towards her head to remove the hood, slowly so as not to trigger a violent response from Nyssa and her lackeys.

"My name is Talia Al Ghul, your beloved, brave, and brilliant older sister." The woman said as she removed her hood, revealing a face that Nyssa had only seen in pictures that her father showed her, and a name that she'd only heard in stories that her father told her.

"My god! T-Talia...y-you...but this is impossible! Father told me you died a long a time ago, and yet...not only are you alive but you don't appear to have aged a single day since you...since you allegedly died." Nyssa stuttered uncharacteristically.

"It's good to finally meet you little sister, and it's no surprise that father told you that I was dead, after all, those were his last words to me as he told me that I was dead to him." Talia said with a pained tone and facial expression.

"My lady, you think Lord Ra's knew that she was your sister? Is that why he sent you here? Why he said that you would find answers here?" Alhifr asked curiously, the rest of Nyssa's men also wondering the same thing.

"Lord Ra's? Don't you dare call that scumbag by that name in front of me! Malcolm Merlyn is nothing but a stack of feacies, and I will deal with him as soon as I am done with Oliver Queen!" Talia spat venomously, Nyssa's men looking at each other in confusion as they were unable to quite comprehend her words.

"As for you sister, quite frankly I'm disappointed. I'd heard that you were in civil war with Al Sa-Her, I never imagined that you would lick the soles of his boots. When you came here with your men, I assumed you had ascended and become the new Demon Head, at the very least I hoped you had come to ask for my help to take Merlyn down, but instead I learn you came here to do his bidding." Talia said with a tone laced with disgust and disappointment.

"First of all, Al Sa-Her is mine, and mine alone to kill. You stay away from him!" Nyssa said with an uncompromising tone.

"Secondly, there are some things that are worse than death, and I would sooner accept the cold embrace of death before I bow down before Malcolm Merlyn of all people. Thirdly, the real Ra's Al Ghul sent me here to have a word with you, and I finally understand why."

"The real Ra's Al Ghul...?" Talia trailed off with a look of both confusion and hope in her eyes, hoping that someway somehow, her father was actually still alive and had only faked his death for one reason or another.

"Oh...poor thing, you mean to tell me that you have allied yourself with that psychopath just to get revenge for father? How naïve!" Nyssa said, the expression on her sister's face, along with all the clues that her husband gave her, allowing her to quickly put two and two together, Talia on the other hand looking like a deer caught in headlights as she hadn't expected that kind of response from her sister.

"Careful little sister! Just because you and I are blood doesn't mean I won't maim you. Just who do you think it is that you're talking to..."

"No! Who do **you** think it is that you're talking to?" Nyssa interupted.

"Excuse me..?" Talia asked with a visibly perplexed facial expression.

"Unlike you, I'm not only the daughter of Ra's Al Ghul, nor am I only the adopted sister of Ra's Al Ghul, but I am also his wife. Oliver 'Al Sa-him' Queen is the living embodiment of the prophecy. He survived not one, but a number of fatal wounds inflicted upon him by Ra's Al Ghul himself, and father adopted him into the family and dubbed him _heir to the demon_. Al Sa-him was indoctrinated into the league, under father's orders and guidance. He then arranged a marriage between Al Sa-him and his daughter, Nyssa Al Ghul in order to unite the bloodlines. You know what this means Talia, Father already intended to die, by my husband's hand, such was the requirement for Al Sa-Him's ascension. Everything that happened was his will. Oliver Queen...Al Sa-him...Ra's Al Ghul is your adopted brother, your brother in law, and your father's chosen heir." Nyssa explained, Talia on the other hand spotting a look of shock and disbelief as she just couldn't comprehend the things coming out of her sister's mouth.

"It's time for you to cease this foolishness, there's nothing to avenge, father's will has been carried out. You only tarnish his legacy if you persist with this juvenile behaviour. Your grief has blinded you to the truth. You found out that my husband killed your father and didn't bother to find out the details, but as the saying goes, the devil is in the details. You of all people should know that better than anyone else, or perhaps..."

"Perhaps what?" Talia asked defensively.

"Perhaps you didn't want to know the details, because you were afraid that if you did, then you wouldn't be able to justify your revenge crusade. You wanted someone to blame for your loss, someone who, unlike father, wasn't already dead. You needed a scape goat and you took everything out on my husband. I understand how you feel, because I've been there too. I too once hated him, I even attempted to kill him multiple times."

"What changed your mind?" Talia asked with a curious tone, unable to comprehend how Nyssa could have discarded her hate just like that.

"Fear. I had to hit rock bottom before I came to my senses. My acolytes betrayed me, they attempted to eliminate me, I was outnumbered, with nowhere to run to, and no one to ask for help. Malcolm's acolytes had too abandoned him, and it was only a matter of time before they too came after me. I suddenly remembered that I do in fact have a husband, though in all honesty, he had absolutely no reason to help me after all the trouble I caused him."

"What happened then?" Talia asked hastily, unable to contain her curiosity, though no one could blame her, after all, this was a tale about her prized student and her little sister.

"He offered to help me, without so much as a blink of an eye. He treated me with respect and intergrity, and he valued my life and wellbeing, despite having absolutely no reason to. It was at that moment that I realised that he wasn't holding a grudge against me whatsoever, despite everything I and our father did to him, he didn't hold a grudge dear sister. He wanted nothing but to help me, to protect me. I did something bad to him and an innocent woman right afterwards, but he has forgiven me, and he treats me with love, respect, and understanding, and on top of that, he has reunited me with my long lost sister." Nyssa spoke with so much passion that it was almost tangible, as if Talia could just reach out with her hand and grab it.

"You know, before coming here, I asked my husband why it is that he believes his mentor would be collaborating with this psychopath against him. He told me he too had wondered for a long time, and upon many hours and many days of deliberation, he said that he finally figured it out, and he said that if what he figured out was in fact the truth, then you were using that psychopath as a means to an end, or at least you thought you were..." Nyssa trailed off dramatically.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Talia asked with a little, okay a lot of agitation, not liking that her sister had been speaking to her as if she were the older and more experienced one since she arrived.

"He didn't explain, he said I'd understand once I met you."

"And...you do?" Talia asked warily, all of a sudden feeling unsure about whether she wanted to hear this or not, because everything that her sister had said so far had cut very deep, especially considering that it had only revealed to her the foolishness of her actions, though she would never verbally admit that.

"Yes, I believe I do. See, you believe that you are the one in control, the one using the psychopath's pain and grief as a weapon against my husband, but I've come to realise that it is in fact the other way around..."

"Prepostrous! How dare you..."

"Oh but I do dare sister! Just why exactly do you think he contacted you? Why do you think the enemy of your prized student, would ask you, his mentor, for help in destroying him? Why would he believe that you wouldn't just put an arrow through him instead?" Nyssa asked retorically, a look of horror and realisation settling firmly into Talia's facial expression.

"Because he researched everything about Oliver...and me. He...he already knew I was Ra's Al Ghul's daughter before he approached me, he...h-he seeked me from the start with the intention to use my love for my father against me. To use it to...to m-manipulate me..." Talia trailed off, her pride making it that it was extremely difficult for her to even admit the words to herself, much less to say them out loud like she just did.

"It's not just your love that he twisted and used against you, it's also your guilt."

"My guilt?" Talia asked with confusion.

"Yes, your guilt. Whatever it is that happened between you and father, no matter who was wrong between the two of you, speaking from experience, I know that you would have had your fair share of regrets, especially considering that you both lived so long and yet never made the time to reconcile your differences before his passing. However, instead of taking the blame for your failures, it is much easier to lash out and blame another than it is to accept your own mistakes. Love and guilt, these are the emotions that psychopath preyed on in order to get you to do his bidding, and you were ripe for the taking." Nyssa explained without judgement but sincerity and compassion, hoping that her words would be enough to open her sister's eyes.

Talia on the other hand felt like she was either about to puke her guts out, go on a mad rampage, or pass out completely, perhaps all of the above as her head swirled and twirled, Nyssa's words hitting her like a freight train moving at two hundred miles per hour. She couldn't believe it, she couldn't believe how low she had fallen, how utterly naïve and incompetent she must have been to have not only been controlled and manipulated by a mere child, but to have been incompetent enough not to fact check every single detail of the events that lead to her father's demise. She'd allowed her emotions to take over her whole being, whereas she prided herself on her emotional control above almost anything else, only her intellect, strategic aptitute, and investigative skills ranking higher than that aspect of her character.

Of course, Talia couldn't help but to wonder if Nyssa wasn't doing the same thing that she was accusing Simon Morrison of doing to her, but one glance at her sister's concerned, hopeful, and loving facial expression was enough for her to reject those thoughts completely. But if not Nyssa, was it possible that Oliver was using Nyssa to manipulate her? It was certainly possible, but she couldn't know for sure until she had a meeting in person with Oliver, and almost as if reading her mind, Nyssa made it that Talia didn't even have to ask.

"Come with me sister. Return to Star City with me. I swear it, on my honor, that you will not be harmed neither by me, my husband, or any of our men. Just come with me and spend some time with him. If you are still not satisfied after your talk with him, if you still want revenge, then so be it. I however am confident that he will be able to change your mind." Nyssa offered, extending her left hand in a welcoming gesture to her sister.

"We shall see..."

 **Meanwhile: Undisclosed Location**

A boy of roughly the age of nine years old could be seen getting off of a school bus in a rather quiet neighbourhood, coming from a no doubt long day at school as he seemed to be in a bit of a grumpy mood. The boy had dark hair, blue eyes, and pale skin and was wearing a navy blue sweater with red and white lines licking the bottom half of it, along with a brown jacket, blue jeans, and white sneakers. There was a mysterious man not too far from the bus stop, and because his mother had warned him about strangers, especially since the time he got kidnapped and rescued by the Green Arrow, the boy was in quite a hurry to get back to his house.

"William Clayton?" The man asked as the boy, now identified as William, walked passed him.

"Sorry, wrong person. My name is William Mathews." The kid replied hastily, not bothering to stop to adress the man as he walked past the man rapidly.

"I'm a friend of your father's, my name is Adrian Chase." The man, now also identified, as Adrian Chase, retorted, catching the kid's attention at the mention of his father as William had never been able to get his name out his mother's lips.

"You know my father?" William asked, stopping uprubtly and turning around to face the man, a curious expression etched onto his facial features.

"As a matter of fact I do, he and I are actually very close friends. Would you like me to take you to h..." Adrian trailed off as he suddenly turned to his right hand side to catch an arrow that was aimed for his head, a slight look of panic etched onto his facial features as he saw a black, hooded figure standing on the roof of one of the houses across the street, the figure, without saying a word, drawing another arrow and firing again in Adrian's direction, Adrian catching the second arrow with his other hand, his eyes widening suddenly in surprise as blood came spurting out of his mouth, looking down only to see an arrow sticking out of his chest, the arrow, given the fact that he could see the tip of it, clearly having come from behind him.

 _'She...she was just the decoy, to distract me from the real attack coming from behind me.'_ Adrian thought with trepidition, realising, within those split moments, that the situation was dire and that he was unlikely to make it out alive given the severity of the injury he had just sustained, not to mention the fact that he was outnumbered 2 to 1 and didn't have his weapons arsenal with him. According to his calculations, the chances of survival at this point were near zero percent.

 _'Unless...!'_ Adrian thought, his eyes widening as he came to a sudden realisation, turning around towards his target only to find a masked female figure standing in place of the boy, the figure wearing a black, form fitting combat outfit, spotting short black hair that went down to just below her jaw line, and a black and red armor in a style remiscient of a samurai warrior. She was also wearing a white mask with a red dot at the centre of of the forehead, the mask covering only the upper part of her face, and her armor consisted of a chest plate that extended to the sides of her torso up to her waist line and a had guard for her upper left arm. The right arm was protected up to the wrist, but the bottom half of the armor was completely red in colour and made of lighter material in terms of weight, although the armor as a whole was significantly smaller, lighter, and more flexible than the traditional samurai armor of old as it was made of an entirely different material.

She was wearing a form fitting leather outfit underneath the armor and red boots on her feet that extended up to and above her knees, the boots being a boot-knee guard hybrid of some sort. She had a samurai sword strapped to the left side of her waist and a tanto sheathed at the middle of her back, or at least was sheathed as she was now holding it in a reverse grip in her right hand, her stance wide with her right knee bent slightly in front of her and her left leg extended at the back, a red liquid dripping from the blade of the tanto.

"Y-you're Katana...what are you...doing here...?" Adrian trailed off as he saw the blood dripping from her sword, his eyes widening slightly as he realised that the blood on the sword could only belong to one person, suddenly feeling weak in the knees as he was now rapidly losing an unhealthy amount of blood, looking down to find another hole through torso, this time much lower and much bigger than the one made by the arrow that was still sticking out of his chest, Katana having stabbed him right through his belly button.

"I venture to guess, but correct me if I am wrong. Just now, were you about to use this innocent child as a human shield to facilitate your escape?" Katana asked with a tone laced to the brim with venom, the situation bringing back horrible memories about a time long ago but unforgettable to her, fresh in her memories as if it happened just a few hours ago as she recalled the events that lead to her son's death.

"T-this...this isn't how it was supposed to hap...gwaah!" Adrian cried out involuntarily as two arrows entered the soft tissue at the back of his knees, forcing him to kneel down in front of Katana.

"What are you doing Sarab? I told you I can handle this on my own!" Katana complained to her husband, who apparently had been the one to shoot the arrows into the back of Adrian's knees.

"There's no time to waste my love. I know how you feel, I know what memories this whole mess is trudging up for you, I feel exactly the same. That is all the more reason to finish this as soon as possible, before something goes wrong. Besides, it is only a matter of time before the people in this street awaken from their slumber." Sarab said with a cold and emotion deficient tone, as expected of a league assassin, although Katana, knowing him better than literally anyone else in the world, could feel all the emotions bubbling up in her husband's heart of hearts. She also knew that he was absolutely right, because when one of their scouts had informed them that Adrian was in town, their men had infiltrated all of the households in the street, knocking the residents out with tranquilizer darts and replacing them with their men and women so as to make it easier for them to watch the streets and of course, to take out Adrian Chase when he inevitably comes looking for Oliver's family.

So time was of the essence, there really was no time to fool around. They had to kill Adrian Chase, report to Ra's Al Ghul-sama, clean up the mess left behind, and disappear again, all of this being done before any of the residents begin to awaken from their forced slumber. These were the thoughts going through Katana's mind as she prepared herself to remove Adrian's head from his shoulders.

 _'T-that uniform, that name...impossible! He's supposed to be dead, and the league is supposed to be disbanded.'_ Adrian thought with confusion, unable to comprehend what was happening to him and around him at all, completely blindsided by this term of events, a feeling he really really didn't like at all, and was un-accustomed to.

"Interesting choice of weapon." Sarab noted as he watched his wife take an executioner's stance over Adrian's kneeling form, his curiosity peaked by the fact that his wife wasn't using her preffered weapon.

"If I thought there was even a slim chance that he would inherit the kingdom of heaven in the afterlife, I would have used Soultaker on him, but I know without a shadow of doubt that where he is going, only eternal pain and suffering await him." Katana replied emotionlessly.

"Y-you're the league of assassins? But how...I thought..."

"You thought wrong...Prometheus." Sarab said, unable to stop the disgust from filtering into his tone when he used the man's chosen alias.

"Oliver Queen, the one you seek to destroy is no more. Oliver Queen is just an alias, only Ra's Al Ghul exists. You didn't know what game you were playing, or with whom you were playing with, and that was your undoing." Sarab explained with a condescending tone, a confused frown settling into Prometheu's facial features, before changing into rage and then finally, insanity as it appeared as though he was just now truly beginning to unravel.

"Ha...hahaha! Ahahahahaha! You think killing me will be the end of everything? There are at least three other people who will make sure that my will be done." Adrian Chase laughed maniacally, showing absolutely no fear or regret in the face of death, although given how totally insane Sarab and Katana already thought he was, it didn't really come as a surprise to them.

"Ra's Al Ghul-sama is taking care of your allies as we speak. You're smart, but he is ten steps ahead of you. Talia Al Ghul, Artemis, Wild Dog, they will be dealt with shortly. So save your words, psychopath!" Katana exclaimed with mad fury as she swung her tanto with all her might, not giving Adrian, or rather, Simon Morrison, a chance to make another retort as she removed his head with a clean, swift strike, as if running a hot knife through butter.

"Are you okay?" Sarab asked with concern, wanting to make sure that the whole situation wasn't taking too much of a tall on his wife.

"I'm fine. Make the call." Katana said authoratively, Oliver having made her the man in charge for this mission, and Katana finally understood why too, because, although nothing would ever bring her precious Akio back, this mission had provided some much needed therapy for her, and she couldn't imagine how bad she would have felt if she had failed...she couldn't imagine how bad Oliver must have felt when he failed to protect Akio.

 _'Oliver, I finally understand. I'm so sorry for all the pain that I have caused you. Even if William isn't my son, the fact that you trusted me with his life...if I had failed...'_ Katana thought with tears stinging her eyes, thankful that her facemask was doing a decent job of shielding the tears from her comrades, of whom six had now gathered around her, all dressed in their league outfits, the rest having taken on the disguises of gardeners, pool cleaners, and residentials of the neighbourhood.

"Clean this mess up. Destroy the body but keep the head as proof for Ra's Al Ghul-sama. You have five minutes." Katana ordered.

 **Mayor's Office:**

"Sarab? What is the status report? How's my son?" Oliver asked as soon as he picked up the phone, unable to hide the concern and anxiety from leaking into his tone.

 _"Good knews my Lord, Simon Morrison has been slayed. You will receive a picture of his head and body as soon as this call ends, and I will have physical proof of the kill delivered upon our return. Our men are cleaning up as we speak and preparing for our departure."_ Sarab responded, Oliver unable to believe that he'd finally done it, that he'd finally gotten rid of the vermin that had been the bane of his existence for the last nine months, and he didn't even have to lift a finger to do it.

 _'This is all thanks to Nyssa. If she hadn't returned, if she hadn't convinced me to take my rightful place, things would have been so much harder, and I would have certainly had to get my own hands dirty._ ' Oliver thought with with a huge sigh of relief, deciding then and there that he would have to show his wife just how grateful he was.

"Thank you Sarab, that is the best news I have heard in months. What about my son? Is he okay? Did Chase give you any trouble?"

 _"No my Lord, it was no trouble at all, for the predator is most vulnerable at the moment just before it pounces on its prey, and yes, your son is safe and sound."_ Sarab replied phylosophically, Oliver almost losing his cool at the realisation that they had used his son as bait, but then again, who was he to speak, after all, how many times had he used others as bait in order to achieve an important goal.

"How much did he see?" Oliver asked with trepidition, concerned about what kind of effect it would have on his son's psyche to see and experience what was no doubt a morbid and bloody event taking place right in front of his eyes, at such a young age too, without his father to guide him through it.

 _"He might have seen the first three arrows that were shot, one of which penetrated the target through the chest. However rest assured my lord, your son will not remember a thing. My wife will admnister a hypnotic herb on him, the memory of this event will be suppressed deep into his sub-conscious. It is unlikely to ever re-surface again."_

"I see..."

 _"How are things on the other fronts?"_ Sarab asked curiously.

"Nyssa called, she will be coming back to Star City with Talia. It appears as though my suspicions have been confirmed, Talia's full name is indeed Talia Al Ghul, and she is Nyssa's older sister. It's too soon to celebrate, but by the looks of things, a peaceful resolution is a strong possibility." Oliver said optimistically.

 _"That's good to hear. Given her experience and no doubt superior skill to Prometheus, it would have been quite a bit more difficult to deal with her, not to mention the fact that she has an unknown number of acolystes at her beck and call. A full blown war would have been an unfavorable but likely result."_

"Agreed, but things are not looking good on the other front. Wild Dog and Artemis have disappeared with their names. They are nowhere to be found, which is why I will have to insist that you move ahead with phase 2. I don't want to take the chance that one of them comes after my son and his mother to finish what Chase started."

 _"Of course my Lord, consider it done. Perhaps your sister in law might shed some light on their whereabouts, depending on how well your meeting with her goes?"_

"I'm hoping that will be the case." Oliver replied, still trying to get used to the idea that Talia was now his sister in law.

 _"Very well then. Let me finish up here. I'll contact you when everything is in it's proper place. The best of fortunes my lord."_

"Thank you, good luck to you too my friend." Oliver said as he hung up the phone, unable to supress the truimphant smirk that was threatening to split his face apart, not only because he had finally gotten rid of Adrian Chase, but also because this meant that he could finally go and rescure Laurel from Star Labs.

 **That Evening: Outskirts Of Star City**

"Thank you for dropping me off, I should be fine from here on out." Oliver said as he stood next to the road facing the direction of Central City. He wasn't wearing his Green Arrow outfit tonight, wearing blue jeans, a long, black trench coat with all the buttons tied up and also black footwear.

"Always a pleasure boss, though I have to ask, what kind of personal errand does one take care of in the middle of...nowhere?" Dinah, the new Black Canary, asked with a small frown, unable to figure out what exactly was going on here. She on the other hand was wearing her formal work clothes, consisting of black pants and shoes, a white shirt and a blue blazer, her work gun hidden within a holster on the left inside of her blazer.

"I'm just picking up someone in Central City, it shouldn't take long. I'll be back by the end of the night." Oliver replied with a tense tone of voice.

"Okay...that explains everything." Dinah replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes at her boss's ability to share, or rather lack of it.

"Everything will be explained upon my return. I'm expecting Nyssa to return in the wee hours of the morning, that means that I should be back long before then." Oliver said, making sure that Dinah understood that he wasn't shutting her out and also that she knew when exactly to start panicking if he took too long to return.

"Who the hell is Nyssa?" Dinah asked incredulously, totally catching Oliver off guard with that question as he thought that Curtis and/or Rory would have gosip...eh updated her about it by now, especially Curtis.

"That's...another long conversation you and I will have when I return." Oliver replied, turning around to look her in the eye to make sure she understood that he meant every word that he was saying.

"Okay, you don't have to do the scary look, I believe you!" Dinah said with her hands held up defensively.

"Sca...this is not a scary look, it's an _I'm telling you the honest truth_ look." Oliver retorted.

"Well I'm sorry, I'm still a newbie in the team so I don't yet know how to differentiate between all the different looks...that all suspiciously look like _I'm gonna kill you soon_ looks." Dinah muttered under her breathe at the end of her reply.

"What did you just say?"

"N-nothing! It's fine, I understand, just..."

"What?" Oliver asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Wondering how the hell you're going to get to Central City? Is someone picking you up or something? Because you know, I'm not doing anything tonight and I'm sure Rory and Curtis can handle city patrol alone for one night? Especially now that Adrian Chase's head has been suspiciously found lying around in the Glades." Dinah asked with an inquiring tone, wondering if Oliver was behind the whole media and police frenzy that ensured as a result of that excessively morbid incident.

Oliver knew it was not very heroic to just leave Chase's head out there for anyone to find, however, at the same time, he knew that he had to let the people of Star City and more importantly the SCPD know somehow that Adrian was dead, and since chopping heads off was not part of the Arrow's MO, he also knew that they wouldn't be able to link it back to him. The people could therefore rest easy knowing that the Throwing Star Killer was no longer a threat, but at the same time, they wouldn't have to wonder if their hero was still the good guy or not.

The press, as Oliver expected, was clogging up the media with all sorts of conspiracy theories, ranging from drug lords to, believe it or not, the Yakuza potentially being responsible for Adrian Chase's death. Whispers of the Arrow being possibly responsible were quickly and ruthlessly snuffed out by none other than Susan Williams, much to Oliver's surprise and delight as it seemed that Susan had officially picked a side, that being the side of Ra's Al Ghul, after all, she was the only non league member who knew without a shadow of doubt that he was responsible for Chase's death, or that he commanded an army of elite assassins.

"Did you forget what I told you during our first training session?"

"That you can run faster than a Bughatti? Yeah...wait, you were serious? I mean, I know you're really fast but I thought you were just exaggerating your performance, you know, just...tryna impress the newbie." Dinah said much to Oliver's chargin, Oliver unable to believe that she thought that he was that kind of guy.

"It wasn't an exaggeration, if anything, I severely understated my abilities." Oliver ground out irritably, still unable to get over the fact that she thought he'd lied about his capabilities just to impress her.

"You're...gonna laugh and tell me you're joking right?"

"No! Dinah, what I told you is what I was capable of when I first discovered my abilities. Since then I have trained myself to the ground and have developed and taken a unique compound designed to maximise the results of my training."

"By unique compound meaning...steroids?"

"No! Well, I guess in a way yes, but not regular steroids, you see regular steriods, even though they are still dangerous, are made with consideration to the limitations of the human body. I created my own version of steroids, one created without taking those limitations into consideration..."

"Because you have rapid healing and regeneration and your body naturally fixes and regulates all irregularities in your body, whilst maximising digestion and assimilation, to simplify it meaning that you get all the good from the stuff you ingest and none of the bad. Couple that with your ridiculous training regime and you get...you." Dinah said with a look of realisation.

"Exactly. I've improved by leaps and bounds since I started my training regime, the growth has been swift, in fact, I'm this close to reaching mach speed now." Oliver explained, using his thumb and index finger to express just how small the gap was between his current level and his target level.

"Mach speed?" Dinah asked with a shocked facial expression.

"Yes. I can run at 998km/h at the moment, I just need to improve by approximately 250km/h."

"Just 250km/h? You do realise that not even a cheater can run anywhere near 250km/h right? And you're **just** going to add that to your already...extremely ridiculous speed?" Dinah asked incredulously.

"You make a good point. To be honest, growth has been very slow over the last month and a half. I think this means that I am approaching my limit. Perhaps I need to upgrade my training regiment, or develop a new performance enhancing formula..."

"More juicing? Look, Ollie I know you have this super healing and regeneration thing going for you, but just how long are you planning to be on that juice? You can't just juice for the rest of your life no matter how insane your metabolism is. Besides, what's with the speed obsession anyway?" Dinah asked with concern written all over her facial expression, said expression turning into confusion when she saw the wry smile on the boss's face.

"What? Is there something on my face?"

"No, just...that's the first time you called me Ollie..." Oliver retorted cheekily.

"W-what...hey! Don't change the topic!" Dinah retorted, playfully punching Oliver on the shoulder.

"I'm not, I'm just embracing the moment. You're starting to get comfortable around me, it's a good thing, means we're bonding." Oliver said with a genuine smile.

"Yeah, I guess..." Dinah said with a shade of red blooming on her face, all of a sudden finding the ground very interesting to look at.

"Anyway, to answer your question, no, I don't intend to...juice as you say for the rest of my life. My body naturally stays at peak condition, meaning that whatever advantage I gain through training or juicing automatically becomes my new peak condition. As for the speed obsession, well, you've heard about the speedsters that have terrorized Central City haven't you? First the Reverse Flash and then that Zoom character. I can't help but wonder what would happen if Star City one day got terrorized by a speedster." Oliver said with a grave undertone, absently wondering why he was using the term _juice_ that Dinah was using to describe his performance enhancing solution, because in all honesty the term _juice_ or _steroids_ was not an accurate description of what he had created as this compound was modified specifically for someone with his physiology, and only effective for someone like him because it would literally kill anyone else. So he'd like to think that what he created was deserving of a higher status than to be relegated to the terms like 'juice' or 'steroids'.

 _'Of course there is now also the fact that Barry Allen has proven himself to be someone unworthy of my trust'_ Oliver thought darkly, clenching his fists in anger at the fact that Barry was keeping Laurel locked up in his personal prison and keeping her entire existence a secret from him.

"I thought you were friends with the Flash? Couldn't you just ask him for help in such a scenario?" Dinah retorted.

"I suppose I could, but what if he was pre-occupied with another villain in his own town, another speedster perhaps? There seem to be an alarming number of them buzzing around in that city." Oliver countered, not yet ready to reveal the real reason he would be hesitant to call on the Flash for help, mostly because he wanted to confirm with his own eyes that Earth 2 Laurel really did exist and that Barry really was keeping her locked up behind his back, but also because it would take too long to explain as he was in a bit of hurry right now.

"I suppose you have a point. Maybe we could brainstorm some formations and simulations for taking down speedsters when you get back?" The canary suggested.

"Good idea. We'll talk more about that when I return. Right now, I have to go!" Oliver said as he disappeared in a burst of speed, Oliver accelerating so fast that a wind strong enough to fling Dinah into the mini van picked up in her immediate vicinity.

"Damn you Ollie! Warn me next time will you! Y-you juice junkie...!" Dinah exclaimed a bunch of profanities that she knew the boss wouldn't hear, was hoping the boss wouldn't hear, after all, the guy did have some super strong senses amongst his many gifts, and God knows she didn't want to be subjected to whatever brutal torture..eh, training that he would put her through if he heard any of that.

 _'Hold on Laurel, I'm coming to get you!'_ Oliver thought with conviction.

 _'And I'll get you too, Dinah...'_ He added with a sinister glint in his eyes, brainstorming all the possible ways he could punish Dinah for that _juice junkie_ comment.

 **End Chapter**

 **That's it for now guys, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Didn't want to skip over the actual rescue mission or half ass it so I decided to pospone it to the next chapter. It will also help me show you more of Oliver's mental development because this will be important going forward.**

 **Yes, next chapter Dinah Laurel Lance will be officially back, and yes the Black Siren vs Black Canary battle I promised you will happen next chapter?**

 **How will the events of this chapter influence Black Siren and Talia's arrangement? Stay tuned to find out.**

 **Reviews have been great guys thank you so much, hope you all enjoyed this installment as much as the others. Take care.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Arrowverse or any movie or series I might use for inspiration

 _ **Inter-Universal Love**_

 _ **Part 3**_

 _What does it mean to be enlightened? In the past, whenever I heard the word, I used to imagine this great white light coming in like a tidal wave, sweeping and vanquishing all of the darkness in the world, leaving not even a shred of it remaining in it's aftermath. How childish of me, how naïve I was, even as far as just a year and a half ago._

 _It was a just a pipe dream, the sentiment of a foolish child, after all, where there is light there are also shadows, and where there are shadows there is darkness. One cannot exist without the other, a coin will always have two sides, there is no such thing as a one sided coin. To receive true enlightenment is therefore not the ability to project a great white light over the world, no, what it really means to achieve true enlightenment is to acquire the ability to see with daylight clearity even as the shadows gather, even within the deepest and blackest pits of the darkness._

 _Given my life experience, this is a lesson I could have learned a long time ago, in fact should have learned a long time ago, but the hour is now and I have been presented with a wonderful opportunity to make up for my mistakes. Right now I am toiling in the darkness, I have gone down to the deepest and darkest depths of my heart, not because I want to, but because I need to. In hindsight, I've always gone there when I absolutely needed to. The difference is that unlike in the past, I have not needed to be coerced or forced into it, and I will not wait until I have lost something or someone dear to me in order to go there. I am there, in the darkness, as of right now, and my vision is crystal clear._

 _'Kyaaaaaah! Where the hell is he! It's been three weeks already!'_ Laurel thought frantically.

She'd been pacing up and down her cell for three hours already, something that she had been doing almost every night since Talia Al Ghul paid her a visit. When Talia said that she'd be getting out soon, she'd thought it would take maybe three, four days maximum for her to get out of here. One day of planning, one or two days of travelling to Central City and scoping Star Labs, and one other day to infiltrate Star Labs, get her out of there, and travel back to Star City. She never expected to be sitting here rotting away three whole weeks down the line, without so much as a sign of Talia or Oliver coming to the rescue.

 _'Something must have happened! If Ollie knew I was alive, even if I'm not his Laurel, he would have come here running! There's no way he'd leave me here to rot. He may be a cheating scumbag who's scared of commitment, but he'd never...'_ Laurel trailed off as the fortified door to her cell activated, which usually meant that someone was coming over to see her, something that had only happened once or twice since Zoom was defeated, the one time being right after Zoom was defeated, Barry Allen having come over to gloat about his victory, and the other time being when Talia came to see her.

Laurel held hope that this was finally the promised hour, that Ollie had finally come to rescue her. It couldn't be the Flash or his goons, not at this time of the night, and not especially since they had no reason to visit her since the demise of Zoom. It couldn't be clean up or maintenance either because she never got to even see them because they would release knockout gas in her cell long before they even reveal themselves. By process of elimination she figured the person behind the door had to be either Talia or Oliver, most likely Oliver. So one can imagine her surprise when it turned out that Barry Allen was the one visiting her, her enthusiastic smile vanishing instantly, to be replaced by an ugly, hateful snarl.

"You...!" Laurel spat distastefully, almost as if the very sight of the man was enough to trigger an involuntary gag reflex from her.

"H-Hey..." Barry stuttered, the outer door having finally opened enough to reveal the visitor's entire body and facial features, a look of anguish, joy, and even love visible on Barry's eyes and facial features, Laurel completely caught off guard by way the Flash was looking at her, although she had to wonder if she wasn't totally losing her mind as the look very rapidly disappeared from the guy's facial features, as if it was never there to begin with.

"I'd rather not have any visitors than listen to your holier than thou art nonsense, Flash, so if you don't mind I would be delighted if you left me alone. Don't worry, we'll talk again, when I'm watching the life drain out of you." Laurel said with a triumphant smirk, visualizing the moment so clearly in her mind that it was almost as if she had already time travelled to said hypothetical moment in the future.

Meanwhile, Barry said nothing, only spotting a look of intense concentration, as if studying every single feature of her body, her face, and even her very soul itself. She could also tell that he was hanging onto every word that she was saying, as if trying to figure out if there were any hidden meanings or secrets to be discovered from every single word that she spoke.

 _'What's wrong with him? He's not acting like his usual high and mighty self. It's as if he just saw me for the first time in his entire life.'_ Laurel thought analytically, although she doubted if all of the analytical skills in the world could help her understand this weirdo.

"Oh I see...you want a little taboe prison action huh? What's wrong? Iris not giving you enough ass anymore? Or did you finally get tired of her boring, one dimensional personality?" Laurel taunted, a mischievious smirk plastered onto her facial features.

"Iris is not my concern right now. I'm here for you." Barry replied with a strength and authority that Laurel just found hard to associate with the Barry Allen that she knew, wondering, at the back of her mind, what could have happened to change the Flash's behaviour to this extent.

 _'Hn! Maybe he's having a bit of a lover's spat with his sweety pie, maybe I can use that to my advantage...'_ Laurel thought, a deceptively sweet smile plastered onto her facial features.

"You know...Flash, even Martin Luther King had a fling on the side, You live a very stressful life and you put your life in danger for others almost on a daily basis. That's a lot of pressure for one woman to help relieve. You and I are the same, we're both meta humans, and we've both had to get our hands dirty in the trenches. There are just some things Iris will never be able to understand, some things that only I can help you with. Come, Barry, come get dirty with me, no one will see or hear us, and of course, I promise not to scream too loud..." Laurel said with an innocent and yet sultry tone, pushing her breasts together with her hands as she bent over slightly, her cleavage almost spilling out of her tight, form fitting outfit.

 _'Only loud enough to drown out your own death scream.'_ Laurel mused internally.

"..."

"All you have to do is open this door. I know it's risky, after all, I'm a dangerous meta human with bad intentions, but Flash, it's that very risk itself that makes it all the more worthwile. The risk of being caught, the forbidden relationship between warden and prisoner, the risk of being killed at any moment. You'll never have a better thrill than the one I can give to you. I'll take away all of your stress and worries, I'll make you the happiest man alive." Laurel said with her hands pressed up against the glass door, her breasts now squashed against the glass surface with her posterior sticking out behind her, her lips parted slightly, almost as if she was about to moan in pleasure, staring directly into Barry's eyes with her own lust filled, dilated pupils, all the while thinking about how much pleasure she would derive, not from the pleasure of getting laid after such a long time trapped in here, but from the pleasure she would derive from killing him and leaving his naked, blood and cum stained body behind for his precious Iris to find.

"That's an interesting offer, but I have something else in mind..."Barry retorted.

"Oh please Barry, I can see the humungous bulge in your pants. I know you want me, there is no need to deny yourself. Besides, it's not like I have anyone to snitch to about our naughty little secret."

"Yes, your skills are of the highest calibre when it comes to the the art of seduction, that you managed to make me arguably the most aroused I have ever been in my life without even touching me or shedding a single clothing item is a testament to your skill and sexual appeal. However, you need not try so hard to get me to open your cell. That's why I'm here, to get you out of here." Barry declared matter of factly, Laurel's eyes involuntarily widening in surprise before suddenly narrowing in suspicion.

"You're going to let me out of here? Why do I find that so hard to believe? Unless..." Laurel thought out loud, her eyes widening again, but this time not because she was surprised but because she had come to a sudden realisation.

"Unless what?" Barry asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"You need me for something don't you? There is no other reason that makes sense. You're here to cut a deal. Tell me, which meta human is giving you so much trouble that you would risk coming here, behind your team's back, to make a deal with the devil herself? Is it another speedster, or perhaps someone like me?" Laurel asked with a victorious smirk, already listing all the things that she was going to do once she gets out of here, first on the list driving a knife deep into Barry's back, because she had absolutely no intention of honouring whatever deal he was here to propose.

"Your theory is only correct as far as the part about me needing you, but entirely wrong about why it is that I need you. Tell me something, Laurel, do you believe in second chances?" Barry asked cryptically.

"Of course I do. That's all I need from you, a second chance. I made a mistake, I got high on my newly discovered power and made a series of bad decisions. All I need is a second chance, to prove to you that I can be a hero too, just like you." Laurel pleaded desperately, using every single opportunity and angle she could find in order to convince the, as far she was concerned, 'idiot' speedster to let her out of her cell.

"The first thing I did before coming in here was to take a good look at your profile in the Star Labs meta human database. Laurel Lance, you're a sadist, and an unsympathetic psychopath. The horrors you committed in Earth 2, even before Zoom recruited you, are testament to that. Even now I can sense the sinister intent radiating off of you. You can't lie to me Laurel, and I say that with respect to every version of you, from any universe. It doesn't matter what version of you it is, whether it's good Laurel, neutral Laurel, or evil Laurel, I will always see through your lies, because I know you better than anyone else in the world...because I love you with every fibre of being. To me, Laurel is Laurel, no matter what universe you come from." Barry declared with so much sincerity that it was almost tangible, which of course confused Laurel as she wondered what kind of cool aid this idiot was drinking that could have detached him so much from reality.

"..."

"Don't worry, your sadism and psychopathy are not a deterrent. On the contrary, they might be exactly what I need." Barry said with a sinister glint in his eyes.

"You've finally lost your marbles haven't you?" Laurel said with an incredulous tone.

"Perhaps, I mean, would I know it if I had?" Barry retorted.

"I suppose not. I do have to ask though, which Barry Allen are you? Are you from an alternate timeline or an alternate universe? Are you a time remnant or a doppelganger?" Laurel asked, feeling like she really had to ask this question now because this whole situation was just too weird, definitely too weird for this guy to be the Barry Allen of Earth 1 that she knew.

"You know a lot about time travel I see. Zoom must have really trusted you. I'm hoping you and I can establish a much stronger bond though, actually, I know we can...but to answer your question, I'm glad you finally figured out that I'm not the Barry Allen that you know, in fact, I'm not Barry Allen at all." Barry replied dramatically, pulling back the left sleeve of his trench coat to reveal some kind of technologically advanced watch on his wrist, Laurel watching with anticipation as Barry pressed a button on the watch, what followed soon after filling her heart with a storm of emotions as Barry's face seemed to disintergrate, as if his face had been nothing but a computer program, revealing what really lied underneath the disguise, that being a face she recognised all to well, and despite herself, couldn't be any happier to see.

"O-Ollie! Oh my God! Y-you...it's really you isn't it? Y-you came for me! I knew you'd come for me! What took you so damn long!" Laurel exclaimed with a wide range of emotions, joy, happpiness, anger, frustration, hate, love, all of it mixed into one giant emotional roller coaster.

"Well you know, running a city, owning a multi-billion dollar industry, being the Green Arrow in secret, and all of the other stuff that comes with it. It was harder than you might think to find the perfect window of opportunity, I also wanted to complete a few technological advancements that I needed in order to make the most of this rescue mission." Oliver explained with a a genuine but slightly arrogant looking smile.

One of those technological advancements was the device Oliver used to disguise himself, a device he named FAVEV, Facial and Voice Emulating Veil. It was a device Oliver invented in an attempt to replicate Human Target's ability to disguise himself, as he had come to realise that he couldn't rely on the guy anymore, not only because of his busy schedule but also because the guy's motives and loyalties were too vague for him. With this device, Rory would be able to take his place whenever he needed to handle business, although eventually he was planning to have one of his acolytes take on that responsibility so that he can enjoy the benefit of Ragman's services on the battlefield. The device had it's limitations of course, because he could only store 10 faces and voices at a time, but really those were trivial in comparison to the benefits that such a versatile and effective tool provided for him and his team.

"What are you? A science genius now?" Laurel asked incredulously, although she did kind of remember the Ollie in her universe having a natural talent for engineering, in particular with regards to the work that he often did on his father's boat and private airoplane.

"Not officially no, I don't have any qualifications whatsoever. However, I do own a multi billion dollar tech company, and I have gained a physiological advancement not so long ago. You see the brain is just like any other muscle in your body, you train it, it grows, changes shape and becomes better and stronger. The more you train it the better it..."

"That's elementary school science Ollie, everyone knows that!" Laurel retorted, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

"I suppose you have a point, long story short, my body is superior in every way possible to the average human in terms of regeneration, magnitude and speed of muscle growth, endurance, durability, etc etc. Since the brain is essentially a muscle itself, I've been able to develop and..."

"Ollie, I get it! You have a higher brain capacity than most and you possess super fast information processing abiities and blah blah blah! Just get me out of here!" Laurel said impatiently.

 _'Hmmm...I suppose she knows a lot about that too, after all, Barry Allen's ability to process and retain information is far superior to even mine, which means that Zoom also had the same ability. Zoom has set a high standard, impressing her isn't going to be easy, much less controlling her.'_ Oliver mused internally.

"I will let you out there Laurel, soon as..." Oliver trailed off as he was interupted by a repetetive beep from his watch.

"What's that!" Laurel asked nervously.

"Good news. You see my special talent is not neccessary inventing new technology, but rather modifying and improving pre-existing technology, or copying and then modifying pre-existing technology. Long story short, I reverse-engineered a device one of my partners created to defend our system from hackers and turned it into an offensive weapon. It's called a skeleton key, and I used it to link the Star Labs cyber system into my watch, whilst also downloading their entire database. This is to ensure that another secret like you is not kept from me again." Oliver explained as he pressed another button on his watch, causing the watch to project some sort of computer screen that was hovering in mid air in front of Oliver.

"So you're going to be monitoring everything that Flash and his goons are doing from here on out, without them even knowing?" Laurel asked with a sinister glint in her eyes, thinking about all the possible ways that she could use the information that Ollie has and will gather for her revenge on team Flash.

"Precisely. However, now that my cover is blown, I'm going to put my system on sleep mode for a week or two, at least until Cisco has completed his diagnostic."

"Diagnostic? Why would he do a diagnostic? You seemed to imply that your skeleton key was undetectable."

"Only if you're not actively looking for it. Cisco will be doing just that as soon as he realises that the footage has been tempered with." Oliver retorted, Laurel's pupil's dilating slightly as realisation dawned on her.

"You don't want them to know that it was you who let me out? That's why you wore that disguise, you want them to think that it was Barry Allen who let me escape. You're planning to only delete the part of the footage where you de-activated the disguise aren't you?" Black Siren asked retorically.

"You catch on pretty fast, as expected I suppose, you are after all, Dinah Laurel Lance." Oliver replied with a diabolical smirk plastered on his facial features, one that was unsurprisingly infectious to the Black Siren, her facial features involuntarily morphing into an equally diabolical smirk to the one splitting her soon to be savior's facial features.

"So, you invented that watch thingy, the skeleton key thingy, and that mask thingy, just so that you can rescue me and keep me safe afterwards by having team Flash fight amongst each other, since they'll be thinking that Flash is the one that freed me? Why Ollie, you really know how to make a girl weak in the knees." Laurel said with a theotrical love struck sigh.

"Well..." Ollie trailed off, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Well what?" Laurel asked deep frown.

"Well the thing is I was already working on these things before I found out about you, and I also disguised myself as Barry to get payback for keeping you a secret from me..."

"What...!"

"But if it helps...!" Ollie said hastily.

"You are the reason I was able to complete them so quickly. I worked long, hard, and tirelessly on these devices since I found out about you. You were the motivating factor." Oliver said sincerely, Laurel visibly calming down at the sound of that.

"Good, now let me out of here."

"I will, but before that..." Oliver trailed off with a grave undertone, his facial expression and overall aura changing completely from what it was before, Laurel quickly realising that this wasn't the rich, carefree playboy standing in front of her anymore, but a stone cold killer who wouldn't hesitate to do what needed to be done, although deep down she was convinced that he would never do anything to hurt her, especially not kill her.

"W-what?"

"You need to promise me that you will not kill any innocent people again. Everything you do from here on out will be on me, since I am the one that is setting you free. Every innocent child, mother, brother, sister, and father that you kill will rest on my conscience, so I'm gonna need you to stop all of that." Oliver said with a tone full of power and authority.

"I thought my so called sadism and psychopathy were not a deterrent to our relationship, or was that a lie?" Laurel countered, her eyes narrowing dangerously at Oliver, Oliver unable to understand how she was able to do that, to make him feel like a little kid caught with his hand in a cookie jar despite the fact that, for all intents and purposes, he was the one with all the power in this situation.

"They're not, so long as they are used properly. I understand the need to kill, and the joy and satisfaction that you get from it."

"I seriously doubt that!"

"Oh...but I do." Oliver said with a menacing undertone, Laurel spotting shock on her facial features before it morphed into a mischievious smirk.

"You know I'm not sure who we're talking about anymore. Am I the sadistic psychopath, or... is it you?" Laurel asked with an all too jovial tone, as if the thought of Oliver being just like her brought a sense of peace and comfort to her soul.

"I do kill, and loathe as I am to admit it, I do often enjoy it, but only when the victim is deserving of the act. Laurel, I'm the big bad who kills the other big bads, the wolf that hunts the other wolves and their packs. You can join my pack and hunt the other packs, or..."

"Or what...?" Laurel asked defiantly.

"..."

"You can't say it can you? You want to know why you can't say it? Because you can't do it. I'm the one big bad that you can't kill, because you love me too much. It's okay to admit it Ollie, I mean, I probably can't kill you either...probably." Laurel laughed like the diabolical evil witch that she probably was.

"You're right, I'm not naïve enough to underestimate the strength of my own emotions, nor the impossibility of making the decision to kill you. However there are two things that you have to remember. I'm not a lone wolf, I have a pack, and the rest of the pack do not have the same reservations that I have when it comes to killing you..."

"Irrelevant! You won't be able to help yourself, you'll protect me, even if it means going against your own pack. Remember Ollie, it goes both ways, you understand me better than anyone else out there, but the same goes for you, I know you Ollie! You'll never let them kill me." Laurel laughed, a laughter that spoke volumes about how secure and confident she was in her knowledge of how Earth 1 Oliver's mind works, despite meeting him for the very first time today.

"Who's to say they wouldn't do it behind my back? Besides, there are worse things out there than death, you of all people should know that better than anyone." Oliver said with a warning undertone, one that Laurel took very seriously, because she knew the difference between when Oliver was bluffing and when it was time to take him seriously.

"Okay, so...the deal, I still get to kill, as long as it's another baddy?"

"Basically. We'll need to set some more ground rules and parameters, but that's essentially the crux of it." Oliver replied.

"Okay fine. I mean it totally sucks but in all honesty it's not as bad as I thought. I accept the deal, but I hope you can understand why I'd rather discuss the finer details as far away from Star Labs as possible..." Laurel trailed off, not wanting to waste any more time in this cell because she knew that the longer they delayed her escape the greater the chances of something going terribly wrong.

"Wise choice. The deal is in place then, effective immediately." Oliver said as he seemed to fiddle on the screen that was projecting from his watch, causing the inner glass door to Laurel's cell to activate, the door sliding upwards as Laurel moved back just a bit, waiting with joyful anticipation for her escape from the pipeline prison.

Her only, okay she maybe had a couple of grievances but the main one, right now, was that she couldn't at the very least level this building to the ground before she leaves. It wasn't that she didn't understand where Ollie was coming from, after all, the last thing she wanted was to end up all alone back in a prison cell again. It was best to just follow his lead for now, and to enjoy every moment that she had with him, because pretty soon Talia was going to come calling, and she was going to have to do some very bad things to her savior as a result.

 _'I'm sorry Ollie, but I'm not going to die in the shower, and I'm certainly not going to allow myself to be killed on the toilet seat.'_ Laurel thought, the mischievious and joyful glint in her eyes disappearing altogether as she thought about what she was going to have to do, to be replaced by a sad and regretful expression, something that the ever observant Oliver did not fail to notice.

"What's wrong? I thought you'd be much happier about finally getting out of that cell?" Oliver asked with a concerned tone of voice.

"Ollie! I...I'm so happy to see you, I'm glad you came for me!" Laurel cried as she launched herself into Oliver's arms, unable to stifle a choking sob as tears suddenly rushed down her cheeks like a waterfall.

She didn't understand why she was feeling so sad and heartbroken about this whole thing. After all, revenge was all she had been able to think about ever since she came to Earth 1 and found out that Ollie was still alive in this earth. There was literally no one she had wanted to torture and kill more than Oliver, because every bad thing that happened to her all traced back to his betrayal of her love and trust, to the humilliation, embarassment, and heartbreak that he had caused her.

She'd fantasized about killing a lot of people, Zoom, Flash, Reverb, Killer Frost, Vibe, Caitlin Snow, and of course Flash, but none of them ranked anywhere near Earth 1 Oliver in her hate scale. She'd hated him on principle, based on the fact that he was a doppelganger of her Ollie, but her hate had grown exponentially when she found out that he had essentially committed the exact same sins against Earth 1 Laurel as he had done to her, to the point that she sometimes, actually most of the time was unable to seperate the identity of this Oliver and the one from her earth.

So why then, why was she so happy to see him, why did she feel like she was falling in love with him all over again? Why was she regretting making the deal with Talia, why did she want nothing more than to be held in his arms and vice versa? Why? Wasn't this the serial womanizer who broke her heart multiple times over? Wasn't this the asshole who had an affair with her own sister behind her back? Wasn't this the asshole who got his sister killed, dying himself in the process, denying her the chance to ever find any sort of happiness and meaning in life, turning her into a broken shell of a person? Why? Why was she feeling so happy and content in his arms right now? Why did she feel like she was right where she was supposed to be, right where she was always meant to be, by his side, loving him, protecting him, and nurturing him.

Meanwhile, Oliver was going through his own personal crisis. He knew what he had to do, what needed to be done. He knew what a volatile and impulsive personality Black Siren had, that anything from the moment he opened her cell up until they left Central City could trigger a violent and deadly response from her. She could possibly decide to hell with his espionage plan and level this entire building just to spite Team Flash. She could change her mind a decide to level a building or two full of innocent people, again, just to spite Flash and the people of Central City who loved, endorsed, and adored him.

He knew, from the information on her profile, that fear was an effective mechanism to control her, that that was how Zoom had managed to keep her in check. He'd come here with every intention to use that same strategy to control her, perfectly content to enter that dark passage thanks to his newfound ability to see with clarity in the darkness. However, now that he was here, now that she was in his arms, and in fact, from the moment he saw her and started talking to her, he was starting to doubt his ability to go to that dark place, at least when it comes matters concerning her.

 _'But I have to do it. I...I have no choice.'_ Oliver thought, hoping and praying that Laurel would be able to understand why he was doing what he was about to do, that he was doing it as much for her sake as he was for his plan and the innocent people of Central City.

"L-Laurel..." Oliver choked out, internally cursing himself for failing to keep the emotion out of his voice, gently breaking the loving and comforting embrace that they had over each other so that he can look her in the eye.

"What is it Ollie, what's wrong?" Laurel asked with such a concerned and loving look in her eyes that Oliver almost lost his will completely, having to remind himself that he was doing this for the greater good, that he was doing this so that he can get her to safety without incident, so that he can limit the chances of her ending up back in that cell, possibly alongside him.

"I want you to know that even though my actions may suggest otherwise, that I do in fact love and trust you. I hope you will be able to remember that." Oliver said, lovingly caressing her right cheek with his left hand, yet a look of anguish and torment visible in his eyes, almost as if whatever he was feeling was causing him physical pain.

"Ollie, I don't underst..." Laurel trailed off as she heard a clicking sound, followed by a cold and slightly prickly feeling around her neck, a look of shock, followed by anguish, and then anger as Laurel slowly reconciled with herself what had just transpired, Oliver, in a split second, having placed some sort of collar around her neck before she even knew what had happened, Laurel, understandably, caught blind sided by this turn of events.

"The device is known as a meta human stangler, it's a meta human suppressor, meaning that, for as long as it is around your neck, you will not have access to your powers." Oliver explained with a neutral tone, finally finding it in himself to supress his emotions, or at least try to, pulling on every bit of his strength in order to stop the betrayed look Laurel was directing at him from stripping him entirely of his will.

"Ollie...?" Was all Laurel was able to say, not knowing how to even begin to vocalize her feelings right now.

"I'm sorry for this, but your profile..." Oliver trailed off, unable to finish explaining as Laurel delivered a strong right hook to his chin, an action that she immediately regretted as she recoiled in pain, clutching her right fist with her left hand as she attempted to rub the pain away.

"W-what the hell are you made of!" Laurel yelled in frustration.

"I told you earlier, my biological make-up has been enhanced." Oliver retorted, casually rubbing the left side of his chin, because even though no damage was done, it didn't mean that he couldn't feel a little bit of the impact, although not anyway near as much as he should have.

"Yeah you told me that, but I didn't think...what are you anyway? A cyborg?"

"What! No!" Oliver replied incredulously.

"A lab experiment?"

"No! I'm not...I'm a meta human, just like you." Oliver lied again, not really sure if this lie would ever roll off of his toungue as smoothly as he wanted it to, only thanking the Gods that there had been so little resistence to his explanation thus far.

"Why are you doing this Ollie, I thought you trusted me...I trusted you, and you betray me again? After everything you've already done, you still...!"

"It's not that I don't trust you." Oliver interupred.

"You sure have a strange way of showing it." Laurel said incredulously.

"I do trust you Laurel, and that's the problem." Oliver retorted.

"What? In what world does that make any shred of sense?" Laurel snapped.

"It means my mind is compromised by my feelings for you. There is no logical explanation for trusting you given the information I retrieved from your profile.."

"To hell with the stupid profile Ollie! To hell with it! That's just stupid data compiled by that idiot Flash! It means nothing! Are you really going to trust Barry Allen over me Ollie? The same Barry Allen who imprisoned me behind your back? Is that how low you think of me?" Laurel said with a hurt and vulnerable tone, having started off with a boiling rage bordering on insanity, her emotional rollercoaster confusing Oliver to no end, because he wasn't quite sure what to think or do now.

"Listen to me Laurel, listen to me carefully. I love you, and I accept you for who you are. Barry and everyone else see you as a scorge to society, but I see a diamond in rough. I believe in you, and I think you have great potential, and despite my actions and what you may think, I do trust you. So with that said, I'm willing to come to a compromise with you." Oliver said with unequivocal passion and sincerity, which helped a great deal to calm Laurel down.

"I'm listening." Laurel said neutrally, not really sure she would be able to let her guad down around Ollie any time soon, if ever again.

"I promise to remove the the strangler as soon as we enter Star City territory. Initially I was only going to remove it after the completion of your training, but I have heard you and I agree to an extent, it is wrong for me to base my decisions solely on the information that is contained in your profile, because it could potentially be a misinformed analysis or even a biased one. So what do you say? Do we have a deal? You behave and I remove your leash when we're both safe from the speedsters?" Oliver offered, making it seem like removing her leash was a compromise he was making whereas he intended to remove it as soon as they arrived in Star City from the start.

"Speedsters?" Laurel asked confusedly, a fearful look in her eyes as she contemplated whether Zoom was actually still alive or not.

"You don't know? There are now two other speedsters working with Barry. Their names are Wally West and Jessie Wells. That's why I'm taking all of these precautions. I really hope you understand that I'm only doing this because I don't want you to do something that will get us noticed. I'm confident in our combat abilities but a battle against three speedsters would be the worst case scenario. Having worked so closely with Zoom, I'm sure you can appreciate what a tall order that would be."

"Yes, going against all three would be...problematic, to say the least." Laurel said with a thoughtful expression.

"Alright, maybe I overeacted a little, but I still think you could have just explained to me your point of view before tying a leash around my neck, literally!" Laurel said with a little spite in her tone, Oliver swallowing a lump down his throat at the look she was directing at him, under no illusions about the fact that she was going to make him pay for what he did.

"..."

"You said something about training, what's up with that?" Laurel asked when Oliver failed to respond to her pleas and accusations.

"My analysis of your profile..." Oliver paused, involuntary gulping down a large amount of saliva because of the murderous look that Laurel was giving him, clearly not happy about Oliver's repeated reference to the, as far as she was concerned, stupid and irrelevant profile, Oliver nevertheless pushing forward with his explanation.

"leads me to believe that you suffer from lack of discipline and impulse control. I happen to have been taught by the best when it comes to those two things in particular. I believe that this will be the first step towards your ascention into the person and warrior that I believe you can be."

"I thought you said you accepted me for who I am, and now you're telling me you want to change me?" Laurel asked with audible displeasure in her tone.

"Change you? Who said anything about changing you? Laurel, this will not be a change for you, it will be an evolution. I going to make sure that you become the best version of you." Oliver said with an intense look in his eyes, Laurel feeling the goosebumps in her spine as she struggled to contain the intrigue and excitement that Oliver was digging out of her with his words and demeanor alone.

"Okay Ollie, you've got my attention. I'll play along...for now."

 **Outskirts of Star City: One Hour Later**

"Wow, that was fast, I haven't had a thrill like that since when I used to hang out with Zoom." Laurel said as Oliver released her from his bridal style embrace, having just ran all the way from Central City to Star City whilst carrying Laurel in his arms, not really sure whether to be concerned or amused by Laurel's dismissal of her criminal and inhumane activities with Zoom as merely 'hanging out'.

"That was nowhere near as fast as Zoom or even Barry can run." Oliver said with contemplative look in his eyes.

"Wow, seriously? You can run close to a thousand kilometers in an hour, without possessing the speed force, and you're beating yourself up about it?"

"I'm not beating myself up about it." Oliver replied defiantly.

"Hmm...whatever, get this thing off of me. You promised me you would remove it as soon as we arrive in Star City." Laurel demanded.

"Of course." Oliver smiled, again pulling his left sleeve up to reveal the hi tech watch that he was wearing on his left wrist, with the press of another button on the watch, the choker, or rather, meta human strangler detaching itself from around Laurel's neck, Oliver swiftly catching it and placing it in his inside pocket.

"You actually kept your promise. You've really changed haven't you Ollie? I think I really like this new you a lot more than the jackass who died in the Queen's Gambit." Laurel said with a sultry tone, placing her right hand on Oliver's shoulder as she sauntered around him.

"You're stronger, mentally and emotionally, I can tell. I think you're finally ready to be the man that I always thought you would become." Laurel whispered in Oliver's ear, now standing directly behind him, her breasts meshed into his back as she pushed her arms under his own, sensually rubbing her hands up and down across his chest and lower torso

"I've tried my best to be a better man and a better heroe since you...since the other you..."

"Shhhhhhhhh...tt's okay Ollie. You have a second chance now, we both do." Laurel cut in, tighting her embrace on the mayor to such an extent that it was almost as if she was trying to meld their bodies together, as if trying to make them literally become one soul and one body.

"Ummm...about that, there's something I have to tell you..." Oliver trailed off with a mellow tone, unable to believe that he was going to bring that up now of all times, especially considering how much of a hard on Laurel had just given to him.

But he felt guilty, not only because he was now a married man not just in name but in mindset and commitment, but also because he felt like he was even more compatible with this Laurel than he was with _his_ Laurel. He'd always been emotionally and physically compatible with Earth 1 Laurel, but he hadn't been morally or mentally compatible with her. She'd mentally matured much faster than he had, ready to settle down and move in together at a time when he had been nothing but a confused child who didn't even know what he wanted to do the following day, nevermind the rest of his life. By the time he'd reached the same level as her on an emotional and mental level, he'd already become morally incompatible with her, as he had become a serial killer whereas she was convinced that killing, under any circumstances, was strictly and unequivocally immoral, unjust, and simply wrong.

So he'd stayed away from her, not only because he felt that he couldn't live up to her higher moral ground, but also because he didn't want to infect her, to corrupt her with his darkness. He wanted her to remain pure, and he didn't want her to waste her time trying to purify him, because he knew better than anyone what his problem was, that it wasn't just the fact that he killed, but the fact that he enjoyed it, that he was borderline, if not outright addicted to it, and that he didn't want an intervention either.

"What's wrong? Tell me..." Laurel demanded in a manner that would suggest that she was entitled to an explanation, as if she was entitled to Oliver's heart, mind, and soul, as if he was obligated to lay his soul bare to her for inspection, analysis, and conclusion, Oliver gently breaking her hold on him so that he can look her in the eyes as he tells her the bad news, holding her hands in his as he braced himself for the worst.

"Oh I know that look." Laurel rolled her eyes, pulling her hands out of Oliver's gentle grip as she started pacing back and forth.

"There's a woman in your life isn't there? That's the reason you're looking at me like that. Yes, yes of course it is." Laurel said with a contemplative expression, as if she was trying to solve some complicated equation.

"Yes, but that's..."

"Not going to be a problem, because you'll take care of it, right?" Laurel finished Oliver's sentence for him, Oliver wondering if she really thought he was going to say that or if she was trying to force him to say what she wanted to hear.

"Don't worry Ollie, I'll do it for you, I'll do it for us. Whoever she is, I'll take care of her." Laurel said with a sincere and innocent look, which was confusing to Oliver because of what he was reasonably certain she was suggesting.

"How exactly do you intent to _take care of her_ as you say?" Oliver asked wearily, not really liking the vibe that he was getting from Laurel right now.

"I'll make sure she doesn't bother us again...ever." Laurel deadpanned, confirming Oliver's suspicions in the process.

"Laurel..."

"What?" Laurel snapped suddenly, as if she wanted to intimidate Oliver into withdrawing what was no doubt going to be an objection to her plans.

"This woman is not my girlfriend, she's my wife." Oliver said, instantly regretting his words as he saw Laurel unravel right in front of his eyes, wishing that he was anywhere else right now as opposed to where he was.

"I died...I died not too long ago, and you're already married!" Laurel exclaimed with a tone and expression that could only be described as insanity. Naturally, Oliver wanted to point out to her that they hadn't exactly been together at the time of her other self's death, but given how far gone into rage she was at the moment, he doubted that would be a wise choice of words, if anything, it was more likely to send her further over the edge than she already was.

"There's a perfectly reasonable explanation for this..." Oliver tried to explain, but Laurel wasn't listening anymore, she'd done enough of that, she'd heard enough of his _lies_ to last a lifetime in the few hours that she'd spent with him.

She was wrong, she should have known better. This wasn't a second chance at happiness, this was a second chance at misery, a second coming of the hell that was her life in Earth 2. These were the thoughts going through her mind when she screamed, louder than she had ever done so before, louder than she did when she levelled all of those buildings, even louder than she did when Zoom tried to recruit her, the first and only time she tried to resist Zoom.

Oliver had been through a lot in his life, and that in itself was an understatement as there was no way to truly express in words alone the kind of hell that he had gone through. He'd had to endure a whole lot of physical pain, whether it was on the battlefield, during harsh training courtesy of Deathstroke, Talia, Amanda Waller, his league predecessor, and his Bratva friend Anatoli, or whether it was in a torture and interogation session administered to him by his enemies. However, he could safely say that he had never been through the kind of pain that he was feeling at the moment, the frequency Laurel was using strong enough to almost destroy his body at a molecular level, his bones fragmented as a result, his internal organs destroyed beyond recognition, his eyes bursting and even his eardrums popping as a result of the sound frequencies that hit him from point blank range.

At the back of his mind, beyond the pain and suffering, Oliver couldn't help but realise that he would probably be dead twenty times over had it not been for his enhanced biological makeup. It was clear to him, heart wrenching as it is, that Laurel had really meant to kill him. He really wished he could have reached her heart and helped her become the person he knew she could become, but he now realised that simply reaching out to her was not going to be enough, he was going to have to go to that dark place that he no longer feared, but because of his feelings for her was hesitating to go to.

"Dinah! Dinah!" Oliver called out louder than he realised, probably because he was now deaf as a result of Laurel's sonic scream, calling out being just about the only thing he could do at the moment as he couldn't move even an inch of his body such was the damage that Laurel had done to his body, just laying there helplessly on his back as Laurel walked over to where his body crash landed, albeit with a little bit of difficulty as the road and earth around them was destroyed beyond recognition thanks to her, almost like an earthquake had just passed through the area.

"Oh Ollie, how desperate you must be. You actually think calling me by that name is going to stop me from doing what I'm about to do to you? Pathetic!" Laurel said with a tone laced to the brim with disgust, either not aware of the fact that her object of ire was currently deaf or not caring one way or another.

"Dinah! Dinah whatever you do please don't kill her! Just don't kill her okay! Please!" Oliver begged, stopping Laurel completely in her tracks as she wondered if her sonic scream had caused Oliver to lose his marbles.

"Don't kill her?" Laurel allowed the words to roll off of her toungue, spotting a confused facial expression as she tried to make some sense of what Oliver was saying, after all, wasn't he supposed to say _don't kill me_ instead.

"Oh poor Ollie, did I turn your brain into mush?" Laurel taunted unsympathetically.

"It may very well be that you did, but I won't let you hurt him anymore you evil bitch!" A strong feminine voice sounded from behind Laurel, her eyes widening in surprise as she whirled around as quickly as she could, but not fast enough apparently as she ate a metal staff to her left arm, getting hit with so much force and ferocity that she was sent tumbling and rolling away for quite a sizeable distance, although, much to Dinah's surprise and awe, Laurel was back on her feet in no time at all.

"What? You didn't really think that would be enough to take me down did you? For God's sake I've shrugged off a hit from a speeding car before. Though I have to admit that was quite a solid hit with that staff of yours, but it will be the only hit that you land on me...the only hit you'll ever land on anyone ever again." Laurel said, her tone becoming venomous at the end of her monologue as she analyzed the new enemy, noticing that she was wearing the Black Canary's costume, the only difference being that this girl was not wearing a blonde wig, spotting her natural, long, and silky black hair instead.

"So your suit is made of special protective material, well, thanks for the heads up I guess." Dinah concluded based on Laurel's words and the results of her attack, or rather, lack of them, Laurel's eyes narrowing slightly at her opponent's lack of concern for her failure, wondering why the hell this woman was so confident.

"I take it that you are the wife then? So he couldn't handle my death and tried to turn you into me? And you let him? Wow, talk about low self worth." Laurel taunted.

"I wish I could say I am, just to see the pathetic look of jealousy on your face. However, I'm just as stumped as you are about that. Clearly I'm going to have to force him to tell me everything when I'm done dealing with you." Dinah retorted.

 _'How can she not know who he is married to? This doesn't make sense. How does a person hide something like that? Especially from his friends and teammates? Was he lying about...no he wouldn't. But...what if it was a test? Was he testing me? Did I fail? No! It can't be, that's too cruel even for him. But then what? What's going on here?'_ Laurel thought with frustration, now glad that she hadn't succeeded in killing Oliver...yet.

"So, your name is Dinah too? Or did he make you change it so that you can be more like me?"

"You sure love stroking your own ego don't you? Well, sorry to disappoint you, but that's my birth name. My name is Dinah Drake, the new and improved Black Canary, and you...are an abomination. Your existence, whatever it that you are, is an afront, and more importantly, you're my boss and friend's archilles heal. Had you not had that face you would have died five times over before you even launched that attack. You're his weakness, his blind spot, which is why I'm going to eliminate you." Dinah declared with finality.

"Even though he just begged you, from the bottom of his heart, not to kill me?" Laurel asked mockingly.

"Even more reason for me to kill you. It only confirms the fact that you're his weakness, because the Ollie that I know doesn't beg, period!" Dinah said with conviction in her eyes.

"Oh my God you're such a fangirl. Why don't you just blow him already, he can't move at the moment so he won't be able to stop you. You can have your way with him, this is your chance..."

"Enough!" Dinah exclaimed as she charged at her opponent, twirling her metal staff above her head, a favorite entry move of hers because it made it difficult for her opponents to predict where the actual attack was coming from, as she could go for either an overhead strike from that position, or a cross strike from either the left or the right side.

Laurel proved to have some very decent reflexes however as she slid to her right side to avoid the overhead strike, however, again, as part of her favorite move set, Dinah was able to easily shift into phase 2 of her attack, feinting as if to follow through with a left swing, which of course Laurel, anticipating the strike, and now facing the direction that was previously her left side, had no choice but to shift to what was now her right hand side to avoid what she thought would be a left swing from Dinah, but Dinah was only faking as she put pressure on her left leg and did a 270 degree twirl to the right side and aimed a cross right swing to the chest of her nemesis.

Laurel, having not seen that attack coming, was caught square on the lower upper body, so hard that she was airborn for a whole second, maybe more, before crash landing on the surface, rolling and tumbling on the ground but quickly getting back on her feet when she was able to stop her momentum, displeasure, to say the least, written all over her facial features.

"You don't seem anywhere near as vocal as you were before, what's wrong, canary got your toungue?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself! You have a weapon and I don't, that's all there is to it. If you're weren't cheating I'd have handed you your ass already...easily!" Laurel retorted spitefully.

"Sorry, but there are no rules in a street fight, anything goes." Dinah retorted.

 _'Damn it! I guess she's not the prideful type. Oh screw it! Time to play dirty!"_ Laurel decided, taking two very quick running steps forward and then stopping abruptly, successfully baiting the new Black Canary into charging in towards her as she tried to meet Laurel halfway, Laurel quickly crouching down, picking up two slabs of rubble, and throwing both slabs at the canary in quick succession, Dinah, unable to change direction in time, smacking the two slabs of rubble away with her metal staff, which of course is exactly what Black Siren wanted as the makeshift projectiles crumbled into dust, some of which went into the black canary's eyes, blinding her momentarily.

Black Siren didn't waste her chance, immediately launching herself into the air and delivering a flying kick smack into the Black Canary's jaw, sending her crashing into the ground on her back, and more importantly, as far as Black Siren was concerned, sending the metal staff flying out of the Canary's hands and away from their immediate vicinity. Still aware what a dangerous opponent she had in front of her, Black Siren didn't waste any time as she did a front flip, the aim, to land on her feet, directly on the Canary's torso, hopefully hard enough to cause her to puke her entire digestive system out.

The plan didn't go as planned however, the Black Canary quickly rolling out of the way and establishing a relatively safe distance away from her attacker, furiously rubbing the dust and soil from her eyes so that she could see properly again, certain that she would lose this battle very quickly if she tried to retaliate in her partially blind state, as Ollie hadn't taught her how to fight blind yet, a promise she hadn't taken seriously at the time because she hadn't been sure if it was even possible, at the time thinking that he had just been trying to impress her just like with the 'running faster than a Bughatti' thing.

"Impressive reflexes. I can see why Ollie chose you as a replacement for me." Black Siren gave what was surely a backhanded compliment..

"I'm not a replacement, I'm a successor, stronger and better than the previous model." The Canary retorted cheekily.

"Hn! Is that why you needed a staff to keep up with me?" The Siren scoffed.

"Is that why you needed to fight dirty, literally, in order to keep up with me?"

"No rules, that was your rule." Laurel replied amusedly, causing Dinah to scowl irritably.

"That's it! I've had enough of this!" Dinah declared impatiently, quickly inhaling a large amount of air before screaming her lungs out, however it took Laurel only a split second to figure out exactly what the Canary was up to, Laurel quickly replicating the Canary's actions to the latter as she also released a high pitched sonic scream, the two destructive forces meeting each other midway, the opposing forces perfectly matching each other only for a short while before distabilising rapidly, causing quite a massive explosion, both Black Siren and Black Canary sent flying away and crashing into the ground painfully, this time even Black Siren feeling the pain as she stayed down for much longer than she had previously, a significantly large crater forming between the two warriors such was the power of the explosion.

"Heh! I guess y-you're not as b-bad as I thought, but that was less than a third of my full power. Can you match me at full power? I wonder..." Laurel taunted as she struggled onto her feet, Dinah forcing herself to get back on her feet too when she realised that Black Siren was already recovered enough to get back on her own feet. She originally intended to stay down at least for a minute or two longer, her body too painful for her to get back up so quickly, but she now realised that she would be dead meat, literally, if she went ahead with that plan, because this, as far as she was concerned, crazy psychotic bitch didn't seem like the type to spare the life of an enemy, nor did she seem even remotely interested in taking prisoners.

"I...I'm not going to let you win! I won't let you hurt him. No matter what he's done, n-no matter who he was in the past, the Ollie I know now is a good man, he sacrifices everything on a daily basis because of his love for his family, his city, and mankind as a whole. He gave me a whole new life and a new purpose. He gave me a reason to live. I won't fail him now, I won't ever fail him...and I'm not ready to lose him just yet!" The Black Canary spoke with a fiery passion, gaining more and more strength and confidence the more she expressed her true feelings.

She'd felt a little bit of hope and courage drain out of her a little earlier, when Black Siren got up before she could, and especially when Black Siren told her that she had only used less than a third of her full power in that last attack, whilst she on the other hand had put every ounce of her strength into it. However, now that she realised how important it was to her that she keep Oliver safe, she was determined to stop Black Siren at any cost, even if she had to destroy her lungs and tear her vocal cords in the process.

 _'Just like I thought, this woman is going to get between me and Ollie if I let her live!'_ Laurel thought with a combination of rage, paranoia, and jealousy, pulling on every inch of the strength she had in her lungs and her vocal cords as she released arguably the strongest and most high pitched sonic scream she'd ever released before, Dinah of course doing exactly the same, their sonic blasts meeting each other in the middle of the battlefield.

There were a number of things that the two combatants could have expected, most likely, that Black Siren's sonic blast would overpower The Black Canary's, possibly resulting in the Canary's death, or that they would be evenly matched, causing another simultaneous implosion and explosion, or, least likely, that The Canary's sonic blast would overpower the Black Siren's, possibly result in her death. However, neither of them, in a million years, would have expected what actually transpired.

It started off as a small blue light, smack in the middle of the two opposing forces, but then confusion, fear, and intrigue settled in as the light grew bigger and bigger, eventually morphing into what appeared to be some sort of magical wormhole or portal, at least as far as the Canary was concerned. Black Siren on the other hand knew exactly what the two of them had just created, she knew that this was a breach, a space-time rip in the very fabric of reality, allowing one or more persons to effectively teleport themselves to another location or another universe entirely by simply jumping into the portal.

"Close it!" An all too familiar voice could be heard by both the Black Siren and the Black Canary, the heads of both women simultaneously snapping in the same direction, Black Siren to her right hand side, and Black Canary to her left hand side.

"Ollie/O-Ollie!" Both women said at the same time, one with a a distinctly joyful tone, and one with a tone that was a combination of joy but also wariness and and regret if one looked closely enough.

"Wow, that was fast Ollie, you told me you had high speed regenerative capabilities but I honestly didn't expect the process to be so...rapid." Laurel said with a casual tone, as if it wasn't a big deal at all that she had almost killed him, her words implying that she knew with certainty that he would survive her attack, something that Oliver seriously doubted as it appeared to him that she had simply committed a crime of passion in the heat of the moment, largely due to her total lack of impulse control, and of course her propensity for violence and murder.

"That doesn't matter right now! Close that damn thing! Now!"

"And if I say no..?"

"Damn it Laurel! Close the damn breach! Now!" Oliver exclaimed with tone and facial expression that made it quite clear that it was about to be his turn to lose it completely, which quite honestly scared the living daylights out of Laurel as she had never seen Ollie this angry before, especially at her, Dinah on the other hand also stunned into silence, so afraid that she wasn't even sure that she would be able to move a muscle if Ollie gave her an instuction anytime soon.

"I...I d-don't...I don't k-know how to. This has n-never happened before!" Laurel managed to squeek out, internally cursing herself for allowing her voice to betray her.

"Just do the opposite of what you just did, both of you!" Oliver barked out, instantly feeling guilty when he saw the look on Dinah's face, because he knew she didn't deserve to be spoken to like that after everything that she did for him, defending and protecting him as valiantly as she did at a time where he was completely helpless. It probably also didn't help that he had blood stains running down the front and sides of his face, from his eyes and from his eyes all the way down to his neck, because it probably made him much more terrifying than he intended to be.

"O-okay." Laurel replied submissively.

"W-what do you mean okay? How are we supposed to do that?" Dinah asked incredulously.

"What are you an idiot? There are dozens of different frequencies for our powers, but there are three main categories. One producing a pure, blunt force sonic blast, the other a pure sound wave that destroys objects at a molecular level, and the third and final one is a hybrid sonic blast, combining the two together in one attack. You're telling me you don't know this? What have you been doing? Just randomly screaming your lungs out?" Laurel asked with incredule and disgust audible in her tone.

"To be fair, Dinah is new to the team, and we haven't started experimentation with her powers yet. We've been working on her hand to hand combat skills, her weapons combat skills, and teamwork with the rest of the team. The final phase was supposed to be the development of her sonic blast. Nevertheless the solution is not that complicated. Simply swap positions and do exactly what you did before. Do it now, with haste." Oliver said in a no nonsense tone, a tone that made it clear that there would be hell to pay for even the slightest hint of resistence.

Laurel wanted to make a comment about his bossy tone and mannerisms, to tell him how much this version of him turned her on, but for once she was able to excercise a bit of self control, fear being the prime motivator for her new found control over her impulses. Deep down she was also aware of the fact that she was on really shaky ground, really really shaky ground after almost killing him. She could honestly say that she didn't want to find out what he would do to her if she pushed him over the edge, after all, this was the same guy that told her that she is a psychopath and that he not only accepted that part of her, but actually appreciated it. Even she knew how messed up he had to be to say something like that, no matter how much she loved it and appreciated it.

"Okay...so we just do exactly what we..."

"Hurry up!" Oliver interupted, not wanting to wait any longer in case something seriously horrible came out of that portal, especially not when they were so close to Star City. He didn't want to be responsible for something just as bad or even worse than Zoom finding it's way into his city, that was the last thing he wanted, to be just like Barry Allen.

"Actually...wait a second!" Oliver said much to both Black Siren and Black Canary's dismay, Oliver ignoring the incredulous looks they were giving him as he quickly fiddled with his utility watch, this time a much wider and brighter light than before coming from his watch as he pointed it in the direction of the portal.

"What are you doing?"

"Scanning and analysis. This could be a useful ability for us if we can learn to harness and control it." Oliver explained, Laurel and Dinah's eyes widening suddenly with surprise, realisation, and a bit, okay a lot of excitement, especially on Laurel's part.

"Okay I'm done! Let's do it! Shut this thing down!" Oliver ordered, the two attractive and seriously powerful women doing what they do best, fortunately Oliver's plan working out just as expected as he watched the breach sealing shut right in front of his eyes.

"Good work you tw...no...!" Oliver exclaimed suddenly, a look of horror visible in his eyes as he staired beyond the two meta human beauties, as if he had just seen a ghost.

"Oh my God what...what is that thing? Did she teleport herself here? Did she come out of the portal?" Laurel asked with a mixture of curiosity and wariness.

The creature she was looking at was humanoid, but it also looked like something out of a horror story, like some sort of ghost or even an undead, like it was something that was both alive and dead at the same time. It was female, with long black hair, dark eyes and dirty eye shadow around eyes, or was it real shadows hovering around there? She really couldn't tell. Her clothes looked like skimpy rags, barely covering her breasts and her genitals, and she was bare footed. Her eyes were dark and haunting, her overall appearance that of a person who had lived in a jungle or the streets her entire life, a jungle that was located in hell of course, and yet at the same time she strangely had an aura of royalty about her, certainly her gold bracelets and leg bracers, along with the crown like artificat around her head would suggest as much.

"No, she didn't come out of the breach. This is something else entirely, something far worse. If anything, it would have been better for us if this was something that came out of the portal." Oliver said with a grave tone.

 **"They call me Enchantress, but you already know a lot about me don't you, Ollie? You and that blonde man, the amateur magician. You thought you could keep me locked away forever, but the hands of fate are on my side. They've always been on my side. Your friend, the black mistress, the one whose fake death you helped to orchestrate, she thinks that she can control me, that I am her slave. She doesn't know who she is dealing with. It's only a matter of time before I break out of my shackles, and I will savor her blood for her insolence. But you? You have potential. The darkness inside of you is unlike anything I have ever encountered from a mere mortal before. It is like the sweetest aroma of a flower, like a breathe of fresh air. You could rule this world, by my side. I could share my power with you, you might just be the worthy partner I have spent thousands of years looking for. All you have to do is...aaaaargh!"** The haunting woman cried in agony, a rift opening and closing up repeatedly in her chest area, almost as if someone was repeatedly stabbing her through the chest, except Laurel, Oliver, and Dinah could see no one else around the woman thingy.

 **"The mistress wants a word with you. She has formed a new task force X. I am a part of this new project. She wants to know if I should bring her to you or take you to her? What say you?"** The woman, now identified as Enchantress, asked rapidly, fear and angst audible in her tone, perhaps because she didn't want whatever it was that was happening to her just recently to happen again.

"Bring her to me, but not now, I'm currently in the middle of something very important. It's...02:30 in the morning right now, bring her to me at 22:00 in the evening. I won't be able to see her any time sooner than that. Do you understand?" Oliver replied.

 **"Yes, yes I do...my life partner! Ehehehehe!"** Enchantress laughed diabolically, disapearing in an instant as she teleported herself away, the haunting laughter echoing around the battlefield in her wake, causing shivers to run up and down everyone's spines.

"W-what the hell was that?" Dinah asked incredulously.

"Life partner?" Laurel added with jealousy written all over her face.

"Divide and conquer. The ancient texts mentioned something about telepathy being one of the abilities she has, out of a long list of abilities..." Oliver trailed off with a grave undertone.

"She must have used her telepathy to figure out what was going on between you and I and decided to use it to further push us apart."

"To isolate you? But why you? Why did she call you her life partner?" Dinah asked suspiciously.

"I'm not her life partner." Oliver denied vehemently.

"I know that! But she said she's been looking for someone like you for centuries? How old is she? What is she? And why does she want you?" Dinah asked more thoroughly.

"She's over six thousand years old. She's probably aware of my existence because I was the one who retrieved the idol that housed her soul. It happened at Lian Yu, which is also where I met the blonde magician that she was talking about, John Constantine. We had to enter a mystical chamber in order to retrieve the idol, but I was the only one who could enter for some reason. Something about being worthy or something like that. Before you ask let me make it clear that I was John's hostage at the time. I didn't have a choice but to retrieve it." Oliver clarified.

"Anyway I'm guessing the Enchantress probably sensed my presence then, she must be connected to the chamber that housed the idol. John said he wanted to keep the idol out of the hands of, well, anyone, but especially those who would use Enchantess's power for evil, so I let him keep it, so that he can keep it safe. I don't know how Amanda Waller found out about it, or how she convinced John to relinquesh possession of it, but that is exactly what I intend to find out." Oliver said with an agitated tone, Laurel able to tell that Oliver couldn't wait to bite the guy's head off, possibly add a bit of punching and strangulation to it as well.

"Amanda Waller? She's the one who's death you helped to fake? Who is she exactly, and why did you fake her death?" Laurel asked curiously.

"She and I are...frenemies, I guess. She's helped me out a lot, mostly against my will, and I've helped her a lot as well, also mostly against my will. Anyway she was in charge of a secret government organisation known as ARGUS, but the higher ups were planning to terminate her contract. Amanda found out because she has a mole in the higher echelons of the organisation, and even though it is a well kept secret, we both knew what happens to people with her level of clearance when their contract is terminated. So she got ahead of the whole thing and faked her death before they killed her, she only asked for my help after she had already faked her death though. I was supposed to stop the fake part of her death from being discovered."

"And then what? What is this thing with the witch person? How is she controlling the witch? And what is this Taskforce X nonsense?" Laurel demanded to know.

"Taskforce X, otherwise known as Suicide Squad, is a program Amanda created when she was at ARGUS. They took the most skilled and powerful criminals in the world, inserted micro bombs into their heads to keep them in check, and used them for the most dangerous and complicated missions, with every intention to throw them under the bus should things go south. It's where you'll end up if you carry on acting the way you are." Oliver said with a grave undertone, Laurel's eyes widening in surprise and fear, but only momentarily, her face contorting into that trademark devious smirk of hers.

"You won't let it happen though, and if it did, you'd rescue me." Laurel said triumphantly, Dinah frowning disapprovingly at how crazy and manipulative this woman was.

"So the Enchantress, there's a bomb in her head?" Dinah querried, quickly changing the topic as she didn't want Ollie to fall under the Siren's spell again.

"No I doubt it. She'd probably just teleport it out of her body. Amanda must have found the heart. It is said that one can control the Witch Godess by possessing her heart, in this case literally. I'm guessing Amanda was stabbing her heart when Enchantress was screaming in agony." Oliver replied as clearly and concisely as possible, knowing that he owed Dinah nothing but the truth after everything he'd put her through.

"But she would have still needed to get the idol to release the soul of Enchantress right? So why did this John Constantine give the idol to her?"

"Waller is very good at making people do things that they don't want to do. It's like a special ability of hers. She must have made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Enchantress once ruled the entire world, and you heard what she said. She clearly intends to do just that again. If Amanda fails to control her, this could lead to a world ending event. Brace yourselves, because our training just got a whole lot tougher than I originally intended. We have to prepare for the worst." Oliver warned.

"Okay just one more question. Do you know of anyone else she has in her new task force X? And why does she need one again? Isn't she retired now?" Laurel asked.

"She plans to use this taskforce for protection against ARGUS, and probably in order to lowball them into taking her back in, or handing over full control of the organisation to her. As for your other question, I don't know exactly who else she has in her new Suicide Squad, but Enchantress alone is enough to help her achieve her goals, if she has others of considerable power and skill..." Oliver trailed off with a grave undertone.

"You know what. Screw this. I'll deal with this later. Right now I need some sleep. Besides, we should probably get out of here before someone sees us. It will look bad for the mayor to be discovered here, and just as bad if the Black Canary is also spotted at the scene of this mass destruction." Dinah said tiredly.

"You're right. We should go. My wife and her sister in law will be arriving soon. I need to be there to welcome them." Oliver said as propelled himself at full speed towards Laurel, before she could react, quickly pulling her by the arm and then swiftly delivering a chop to the back of the neck, catching her before she hit the ground, and lifting her up and placing her on his left shoulder.

"I'm so glad you did that. I wish I could have done it myself." The Black Canary said jovially.

"She was getting angry again."

"At the mention of your wife and sister in law I presume?"

"Yes. I don't think she was going to attack me again, but taking her to meet Nyssa and Talia would have been a disaster waiting to happen. It's unfortunate but I'm going to have to have her detained until we can begin training and conditioning for her. I know you don't approve, but I need you to trust me. She has a lot of potential, she will become a great ally. You'll see." Oliver said with conviction.

"I know. I believe you, and most importantly, I believe in you." Dinah said with a warm smile.

"I believe in you too Dinah. You, me, Laurel, Curtis, and Rory. We're going to sort this whole mess up, Talia, Wild Dog, Artemis, Team Flash, Enchantress, Taskforce X. Whatever it is that we come up against, we'll triumph, together." Oliver said as the two walked comfortably together towards Star City, as if Oliver, the mayor, wasn't carrying an unconscious woman who is supposed to be dead on his shoulders in the middle of what appeared to be a natural disaster.

"I kn...hey wait a second, did you just say Team Flash?" Dinah asked with a shocked expression, Oliver deciding then and there to explain everything to Dinah on their way back home, God knows he owed her at least that much.

 **End**

 **Guys I so wish I could just continue with the chapter, but I'm afraid this is it for now. I'm writting three exams this week, monday, tuesday, and thursday, and I still have to submit a report at work, so it's hectic at the moment to say the least.**

 **But I got some good stuff lined up for the up and coming chapters. I'll be done with exams on thursday so I should be able to start on the next chapter by friday.**

 **The title of the next chapter is 'Suicide Squad'**

 **Preview:**

 **Peace Treaty (League of Assassins v League of Shadows, Ra's Al Ghul v Talia Al Ghul)**

 **The Bridge Between The League and Team Arrow - Dinah Laurel Lance/Black Siren**

 **Waller's Return**

 **Taskforce X**

 **Author's Musings:**

 **I'm not sure if Laurel came out exactly the way I intended, or how she is supposed to be, but hopefully you all enjoyed her.**

 **For those that didn't, let me give a little bit of clarity with regards to her character and the contrasts with Earth 1 Laurel.**

 **For starters, this Laurel is emotionally and in some ways mentally immature compared to Earth 1 Laurel. She lacks emotional intelligence and is unable to empathise with others. She also, like a child, or a psychopath, lacks impulse control, she just sometimes acts out based on whatever emotion she is feeling at the time, which ironically enough is the reason fear is a strong motivator when it comes to her. If you can make it that fear is the predominate emotion in her, then she will do everything out of fear for what you will do to her if she doesn't do as you say (ie. Zoom and Talia's tactic).**

 **However not everyone can instill that kind of fear in her because of how powerful and confident she is, so only a serious player can do that. Oliver's challenge is to make sure that the love for her friends, for him, and for herself is stronger than any fear that anyone can put into her. Not an easy task. Of course he doesn't intend to rely solely on that because he already made it clear that he was gonna instill discipline and impulse control in her.**

 **She's very manipulative, that is unlikely to change, and she's in love, but also obsessed with Oliver, although both feelings appear to be mutual, the main difference being Oliver's impulse and emotional control. She's not above maming, torturing, and killing any rivals for Oliver's love, she probably doesn't even see anything wrong with it at all, which is why she so casually told Oliver about her plans for his wife and even expected him to go along with it. She's messed up, beyond redemption as far as normal people are concerned, but as we all know, there's nothing normal about Oliver.**

 **Both Oliver and Laurel seem to be struggling to distinguish between their doppelganger, Laurel isn't even trying anymore, you can see she subconsciously and consciously treating Earth 1 Oliver and Earth 2 Oliver as if they are the same person. Oliver is trying to resist that temptation, but he is clearly struggling himself.**

 **Anyway I think I'll stop there for now so that I can allow the story to tell itself, but I just wanted to provide an insight into what I was trying to portray in this chapter.**

 **I've proof read the chapter, but if there are still major grammatic errors I will be fixing them over the next 24 hours or so.**

 **Thank you, and hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Yawl take care now.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or any other series I might use for inspiration.

 _ **Suicide Squad**_

"Husband! Oh my god is all of that your blood? What on earth happened to you?" Nyssa exclaimed hysterically.

"It's okay, Nyssa, I'm perfectly fine, this is nothing. More importantly, I'm glad that your meeting with Talia went well, that is, if Talia's acolytes peacefully hanging out with our men outside is any indication, and of course, I'm also glad for your safe and sound return." Oliver retorted.

"It went...better than expected. Talia is my long lost elder sister. We...re-connected, well sort of, I've never really had the chance to connect with her before. She left before I even gained any self awareness, all the things I knew about her were things my father told me about her, and I've only ever seen her in pictures until recently." Nyssa said, excitement and joy dancing beneath the tune of her tone, try as she might to supress it.

"I see, well for what it's worth, I'm happy for you, both of you." Oliver said with a genuine smile.

"Yes, me too husband. Oh and...thank you, for everything." Nyssa said happily.

"Oh I wouldn't thank him so soon if I was you dear sister." Talia said cryptically, strolling into the living room almost as if she owned the place, wearing one of Nyssa's night garments too Oliver quickly noticed.

"Talia...it's good to see you again, despite everything." Oliver said tensely but honestly.

"It's actually very good to see you too...Ra's...Al...Ghul..." Talia drawled out, almost as if she was just now beginning to train her tongue to call out that name, or at least to call Oliver by that name.

"I'm assuming you're here to discuss terms of peace?" Oliver asked, immediately getting to the point, partly because he knew that was Talia's style anyway, and also because it was also his style, but, mostly because he was extremely tired after such a long day and was due for another long one dealing with Laurel and also due to meet up with Amanda Waller, Enchantress, and the entire Suicide Squad. He needed to get the little bit of rest that he could get before dealing with any of that, not to mention the long hours he still had to work at the Mayor's Office.

"Remember that, terms of peace, not terms of surrender." Talia said as she suantered towards Oliver, the mayor shocked at the fact that she still had so much power over him as he couldn't help but to be captivated by her exotic beauty and sexuality, even after all these years, unable to breathe or move even when Talia was standing right in front of him, even when it seemed like she was about to kiss him, that was of course until her sister intervened, Nyssa pushing Talia as hard as she could, thankfully for Talia, the Mayor's couch catching her fall before she could hit the floor hard.

"Just what is it that you think you're doing? And you Oliver? Were you just going to stand there and let her do whatever the hell she wants with you!" Nyssa exclaimed furiously.

"Nyssa I...I...I froze. It won't happen again, I promise." Oliver said with a firm tone, having started off with nervous and confused stutter, Nyssa staring intently at him with a suspicious gaze, although, to Oliver's credit, he held out pretty well under his wife's scrutinizing stare all things considered.

"You froze? That's your excuse?" Nyssa asked incredulously.

"Oh give the man a break little sister. He and I go way back together, after all, he was in my pants long before he ever met you. Plus, I thought we already talked about this, didn't father teach you anything while I was away?" Talia retorted.

"What on earth are you on about? Did father teach you to be a slut that tries to seduce your sister's husband? Sorry, I must have missed that lesson." Nyssa replied condescendingly.

"You idiot! The only way an alliance between Ra's Al Ghul and I will hold up is if the bond is sealed in blood, otherwise the alliance will be as fickle as a twig. Well, actually, I'd say it's more of a merger than an alliance really. We'll combine our armies into one, under the command of Ra's Al Ghul, in exchange, Ra's Al Ghul has to marry me and change the name of the organization. From now on, we will be known as the League of Shadows, yes, we're taking my organization's name, I think it's only fair given what I'm giving up for this merger to happen." Talia said arrogantly.

"Sorry dear sister, but I've decided that we are not taking any concubines. So you can go and stalk someone else's husband." Nyssa countered.

"Dear lord, did father drop you on your head when you were a baby or something? You really think I would agree to be anyone's concubine? I'm talking about becoming Oliver's second wife, not his concubine. Besides, why are you acting like you have a say in any of these matters? Last I checked, there is only one Ra's Al Ghul in the room." Talia said with a little venom in her tone.

"That's a very dangerous argument you're making there Talia. As a prospective wife of Ra's Al Ghul, do you really want to promote the phylosophy that the wife has absolutely no say in such important matters?" Oliver asked rhetorically, Talia's eyes widening in sudden realisation of the implications of her words.

"Granted, the final say will be mine and mine alone, but I'd like to think that my wives at the very least deserve to have their opinions and ideas not only heard but also seriously taken into consideration." Oliver elaborated.

"Hn, you really are a sweet guy aren't you Oliver? Well, I can't complain since it's to my benefit this time, but your kindness might come back to haunt you one day." Talia said with an ominous undertone.

"Duly noted. So then, we have an accord?"

"Yes, yes I believe we do, my beloved fiance." Talia said, a naughty smile morphing into her facial features.

"What the hell are you two on about? What makes you think I will allow this...abomination of a union to take place?"

"You don't get to do that, Nyssa! You're the one that wanted me to rejoin the league, you're the one that practically forced me to retake my role as Ra's Al Ghul. So no! You don't get to complain when tough decisions have to be made. There cannot be two leagues of assassins, and killing off the league of shadows is not an option because your sister, who happens to also be my mentor, is the head of the League of Shadows. The only way to resolve this is through a merger, and the only way her men will truly accept me as their leader is if Talia and I give them a very good reason to do so. If she just surrenders they'll lose respect for her, and if they lose respect for her then they will defect and scatter all around the world. We can't have league trained people running around the world doing God knows what." Oliver chasticed his wife in detail.

"So we hunt them down and kill them. It's that simple!" Nyssa argued vehemently.

"No it's not. Have you no empathy? How long did it take for your sister to establish this organisation? How much of her time, resources, and energy did she spend on training and teaching each and every one of those soldiers? And you expect her to just abandon all of that, and even worse, sit idle as we actively kill all of her students and destroy her life's work? Be serious Nyssa! Does that make any sense whatsoever to you?" Oliver asked incredulously.

"So in your mind, it makes more sense for you to marry and share a bed with the person who tried to destroy your life just recently? The same person who belongs to an organisation that was dedicated to destroying your life and is trying to law ball and manipulate you into joining forces with her?" Nyssa retorted.

"How ironic that you should mention all of your sister's misdeeds, you know, considering the fact that you're guilty of exactly the same sins as she is? Or have you forgotten the number of times you tried to kill me? Or the fact that I only came back to the league because you threatened to kill the woman I was in a relationship with at the time if I didn't make a blood bond with you? Are you just going to stand there and blatantly act like a hypocrite? If I could forgive you for everything that you did, and better yet, love and cherish you despite everything that you did, then why can't I do the same for Talia?" Oliver asked angrily.

"I...this is not fair Oliver. You're not the one that has to share your partner, so maybe you don't understand how this feels, how...how demeaning it is." Nyssa argued.

"True, I do not know how it feels, but I do understand what it means. In any case, it's your burden to carry, not mine. I've had to sacrifice everything in order to make this work, now it's your turn. You don't get to shrink away from responsibility when it's your turn to make a sacrifice, not after everything you have demanded of me. You were Ra's Al Ghul's daughter, and now you're his wife, act like it." Oliver said coldly.

"..."

"Wow, that was...beautiful." Talia said, both Oliver and Nyssa looking at her like she had just grown a second head next to the one she already had.

"What? Just saying..."Talia shrugged.

"In any case, my foolish little sister, have you considered your husband's position in all of this? Those acolytes of mine that you are so eager for him to kill, all of them are his sibling apprentices. I trained and mentored him the same way that I trained and mentored them. In other words, they are his brothers and sisters." Talia explained, Nyssa's eyes widening slightly as reliazation dawned on her.

"Husband, I'm sorry, I..." Nyssa trailed off as Oliver, in the blink of an eye, pulled her into a warm and loving hug, so warm and so loving that Nyssa immediately snuggled her head at the crook of his neck and held on as if holding on for dear life.

"You don't have to apologise Nyssa. I accept and love you just the way you are. Just because we have disagreements, or have difficult choices to make, will not make that any less true. You have every right to feel angry, and every right to be concerned, you're strong, and you're my wife, so...pull yourself together and face this challenge head on." Oliver said firmly, almost as if it was an order from a higher authority, of which, technically, it was. However, looking into Oliver's eyes, Nyssa couldn't help but to feel Oliver's warmth, strength, courage, and determination washing all over her, and at that moment, she truly understood, for the first time, what it truly meant to be Ra's Al Ghul's wife, and what was required of her as a result, and most importantly, she understood exactly why her father had chosen Oliver...why she had eventually chosen him and fallen in love with him.

 **Undisclosed Location: Early That Evening**

"How cruel, opening fire at us unexpectedly like that, without even so much as a warning, and for no reason at all." The Green Arrow said with a little dark humour in his tone.

He was standing at the roof of an abandoned warehouse, fully geared and armored, along with Black Siren, who was wearing a replica of the outfit she wore the previous day, Oliver having had one made for her during the day by the league of shadows, with just one item added, that being a mask to cover the area around her eyes so as to hide her true identity.

 **"If it was so unexpected then why aren't you dead? I was after all trying to kill the two of you, and how the hell did you find my hideout? Is there anyone else that you've told?"** Vigilante asked, well, more like demanded really.

"What a hot blooded guy. He doesn't seem to have any patience or self restraint at all. You sure you want to recruit this guy?" Black Siren asked skeptically, Green Arrow unable to help but to internally note the irony of her of all people saying something like that.

"Well, I happen to have made an alliance with the best detective in the world recently, that's how I got the information about you, Vigilante, or should I say...Vincent Sobel." Green Arrow dropped a bomb right then and there, the shock on Vigilante's face so permeable that Black Siren could have sworn she could see it right through his mask, his entire body stiffening up involuntarily.

"Oooh what's wrong Mr Ski Goggles, arrow pierced your toungue?" Black Siren teased, a satisfied and sinister smirk morphing onto her facial features, as if she was just loving the idea of mentally torturing Vigilante, which of course, is exactly how she felt.

"Don't worry Vince, I have no intention of revealing your identity to the public, but I am a little pissed off, no actually, I'm very pissed off." Green Arrow said with a menacing tone.

 **"Pissed off? And why would that be? If anything, I'm the one that's supposed to be pissed off at you."** Vigilante retorted, his shock seemingly a thing of the past as it appeared as though he had quickly recovered his composure.

"I'm pissed off because you were born in Central City, raised in Central City, went to school in Central City, worked in Central City, and basically lived your entire life in Central City, and yet...here you are, running around **MY** City and thinking that you can do anything that you want without consequence. I gave you a pass before because I thought you were like me, a little misguided perhaps, but I thought that the one thing we shared was our love for this City. But now I understand, you only came here because you knew you couldn't run around doing as you please in Central City, you're not doing this in Central City because you don't think you can defeat or outrun Team Flash. You probably thought, hey, that arrow guy may be badass, but he's only human, he doesn't have any super speed or any super powers like Team Flash does. I can do whatever I want if I go there. Am I right?" Green Arrow said with an ominous undertone, Vigilante suddenly feeling like his life was on the line here, not knowing why he was struggling to suppress his fear despite having faced the Green Arrow a couple times before without anywhere near this much fear, his insticts screaming at him to retreat to a place of safety.

 **"I'm not scared of you, nor am I afraid of The Flash and his merry band of weirdos. I only came to Star City because of the shitty job that you're do...aaarg!"** Vigilante grunted in pain as, before he even knew what happened, there were four arrows lodged into his body, one on each shoulder, and one on each leg, his mind momentarily shutting down as he couldn't comprehend how on earth the Green Arrow had moved so fast that he didn't even get to move an inch in retaliation before he was completely incapacitated.

"Apparently you're a meta human with an incredible healing and regeneration ability, if that is true, then all of your impossible recovery feats make a whole lot more sense now. But I wonder, can you regenerate entire limbs, because if you make even one move then I will detonate the bombs on those explosive trick arrows."

"Oh goody! There's just something that turns me on about watching a strong man go kaboom." Black Siren said with child like excitement.

 **"You can go ahead and kill me, I'm not going to beg you for my life, and if you send me to prison, I'll just esca..."**

"Shut up!" Green Arrow said angrily, once again catching Vigilante off guard as he walked closer until he was standing right in front of him.

"Listen to me you son of a bitch..." Green Arrow started as he grabbed Vigilante by the scruff of the neck.

"You have three choices. I can kill you right here and right now, or I can turn you in to the suicide squad. You're just the kind of guy they like over there, and as the name suggests, it really is a suicide squad. You will go on suicide missions, missions that have a high chance of failure, and if you screw it up, they'll throw you under the bus and make it look like you were acting on your own unauthorized authority. They'll plant a micro bomb in your head to make you compliant and if you disobey orders or try to escape..."

"Kablam!" Black Siren finished Green Arrow's sentence for him, although Green Arrow himself wouldn't have used such a corny term to describe it but oh well, the message was loud and clear he supposed.

 **"The suicide squad..."** Vigilante trailed off thoughtfully, as if he was actually considering the option of joining the suicide squad.

 **"What's the third option? You said there were three."** The goggles wearing vigilante asked cautiously.

 _'That attack, that was way too fast, faster than anything I've ever seen from a human before. No way he's just an ordinary human. He must have some sort of power, enhanced speed, agility, and reflexes...and co-ordination. I never imagined he would be a meta human, but how? He wasn't a meta human the first couple of times that we clashed, but wouldn't that mean that his power didn't come from the particle accelerater explosion like mine and all the others did?_ Vigilante thought confusedly

"You fall in line! That's your third option. From now on you take orders directly from me. No more shooting through innocent people to get to the bad guys. I don't care if that's what the Government and the Military sanctions during war times, I'm not the government, and you're not a soldier. This is a City, and these are my people! You shoot through another innocent person to get the bad guy again and I'll make you wish you were dead, and then I'll make you dead!" Green Arrow ground out the words menacingly, Vigilante under no illusions about the Green Arrow's intentions as he could immediately tell that this guy wasn't bluffing at all.

 **"..."**

"I see. Well, it's a damn shame, so much wasted potential..." Green Arrow trailed off as he aimed an arrow directly over Vigilante's head.

"This is another explosive trick arrow, so if you're planning to play dead and then regenerate your injuries, I'd think again if I were you..."

 **"Wait...!"** Vigilante said a little louder than he intended.

"Oooh? And here I was about to applaud what a badass you were."

"You're not helping, Siren!" Green Arrow grinded out irritably.

"Did I think that out loud? Oops, sorry." Black Siren said un-apologetically.

"Whatever! Vigilante, why did you stop me? You have three seconds..."

 **"I...I'll join you. I'll work for you...and with you. We have the same goal, so...I'll adjust my methods if I have to. There's no point in us fighting, we should be fighting the poison that is infesting the city, not each other."**

"Yeah it's kind of the obvious choice you dummy. Your other choices were between a micro bomb in your head or an explosive trick arrow in your head. Why did it take you so long to make such an obvious decision?" Black Siren asked incredulously.

"That doesn't matter anymore." Green Arrow said as he placed his explosive arrow back in the quiver.

"Vincent, I won't tell Dinah Drake aka Black Canary or any of the rest of the team about your true identity. In other words, if you want, you can keep your mask on even at the bunker. I'll leave it up to you whether to reveal your identity to her or not. However, that woman lost herself in revenge when she thought that you were dead. She halted her entire life and dedicated it to getting justice for you. Even now she carries deep scars in her heart because of your alleged death. If you want my advice, I believe you should not only reveal yourself to her, but also tell her your side of the story, and most importantly, apologise to her. It will hurt, for both of you at first, but ultimately, it will allow both of you to heal and move on, and to grow into the people that you are meant to be." Green Arrow said sagely, taking a moment to gather his thoughts before continuing from where he left off.

"You were an undercover cop, so you had good training, but you weren't special forces nor did you receive military or secret service training. So in hindsight you've actually done way better than expected. However, you could be so much better, and I intend to make sure that you achieve your full potential. I will give you the training that you require to take it to the next level. Also, I don't like your over reliance on your durability and regeneration. I want you to learn to fight like someone who doesn't have those advantages. Your durability and regeneration should be used as a trump card, and it must be kept a secret if possible. Our enemies must not come prepared do deal with those abilities, because I have a feeling that your ability to play dead might come in handy one day." Green Arrow continued what was apparently the first training session of Vigilante's career as a member of Team Arrow.

 **"I...I've never thought about it like that before...it...makes a surprising amount of sense. A trump card you say..."** Vigilante trailed off thoughtfully.

"Yes, a trump card." Green Arrow confirmed as he deactivated and pulled out the trick arrows from Vigilante's body.

 _'Vincent has incredible durability and regeneration, but I've noticed that his physical strength is also extremely high. It must have something to do with the density of his bones and muscles, in other words, related to his unnatural durability. Perhaps it will be wise to include the cultivation and development of that strength in his training. This will work out just fine, his relationship with Dinah will ground him and connect him to the team, he won't want to dissappoint her. His abilities and skills are obviously a great asset to the team and his tactical acumen and discipline will allow him to find his place in the team dynamics easily. His ruthlessness, if channeled properly, will also make him an effective and efficient asset on the field. He's just the kind of guy we need to bolster our ranks.'_

 **At The Bunker: 1h30 min later**

"Sir, what's going on? You brought Vigilante to the bunker? Are you under some kind of super hypnosis, or mind control?" Mr Terrific asked incredulously.

 **"And who's the girl? She...looks very familiar."** Ragman asked with narrowed eyes, although said eyes couldn't be seen behind his hood and mask, Black Canary on the other hand choosing to remain silent, mainly because she knew who the girl was and what her story was already, although she was also confused by Vigilante's presence.

Vigilante on the other hand was looking all good and new, his injuries fully healed already and Green Arrow having allowed him the opportunity to change into a replica of his outfit seeing as the one he had previously been wearing had arrow holes around the shoulder and the leg areas. This whole experience felt so surreal to him, never having imagined it would feel so natural and actually good not only to get a tour of Green Arrow's hideout, but to actually be a part of the team. He was also still trying to get over the fact that Green Arrow was actually the mayor, now that was just crazy, but also gave him a new found respect for both the mayor and the Green Arrow.

"I'm glad you followed the instructions I left behind and suited up. Now, first on the agenda, I'd like you all to meet Black Siren. She is a meta human with the same powers as Black Canary, and from now on she will be a part of the team. Second on the agenda, I'd like to welcome Vigilante to the team. Yes, I know his identity but I will be revealing neither his nor Black Siren's identities for now."

"What! How are we supposed to work with them if they don't even trust us with their identities?" Mr Terrific asked incredulously.

"This is a temporary circumstance, Mr Terrific, temporary as in, only for a few hours. Everything will be explained in detail by midnight, I promise. Also, don't worry, I haven't revealed your identities to them either, I'll let you do that after they reveal theirs to you." Green Arrow explained.

"Oh...I see. Forgive me for doubting you, sir."

"Apology accepted. Now I bet you're wondering why you have to wait until midnight for a thorough explanation. You see, the revelation of the identities of our two new comrades will cause a lot of confusion and emotional turmoil for all of you, and we can't afford that right now. In less than two hours we will be having an encounter with some very dangerous, powerful, and skilled persons. This is a diplomatic encounter by nature, but it has the potential to degenerate into something of a fight to the death. If that should happen, you're all going to need your A game just to survive the battle, nevermind winning."

 **"Sir I'm afraid I don't understand. You're the greatest and most skilled fighter that I've ever met, and you have the most incredible physical prowess ever. You've also personally trained us to be at the level that we are, and not to brag or anything, but Mr. Terrific and I are total badass because of you and because of our powers. Canary is amazing too, with great powers. So these people, if they are strong enough to put us at a disadvantage, then what the hell are they?"** Ragman asked with both wariness and disbelief.

"They're called the Suicide Squad, otherwise known as Taskforce X. They used to be an ARGUS secret task force formed by former Director Amanda Waller before she faked her death and disappeared. She has recently re-surfaced and made contact with me and Canary last night, requesting to have a meeting between me and my team, and she and her team, the new Taskforce X. The initial incarnation of this organisation was composed of highly skilled and dangerous human criminals, this version consists of highly skilled and dangerous meta human criminals." Green Arrow said with a grave undertone.

"Criminals? You mean to tell me that ARGUS were hiring criminals to do work for them?" Mr Terrific asked disbelievingly.

"Negative. They weren't hiring them, they were forcing them to co-operate by planting micro bombs in their heads to prevent them from disobeying orders or escaping. Amanda Waller is no longer part of ARGUS, she's working on her own now. My guess is that she is going to blackmail us into outright helping her retake control of Argus or supporting her claim somehow. She has a particularly dangerous meta human in her ranks, one with...truly godly powers. This meta is more than 6000 years old and was worshipped as a Godess by ancient civilizations. She is mainly the reason I'm so concerned. Her name is Enchantress, and she is a witch with a variety of insane abilities." Green Arrow said, taking a small pause to allow the information to sink in before continuing from where he left off.

"Teleportation, telekinesis, telepathy, super strength, super durability, rapid regeneration, and other kinds of witchy magic thingies, those are the powers of Enchantress. A micro bomb would not be enough to control this woman, but she does have one weakness, and that is her heart. Amanda has her heart and she is using it to control the witch. If you stab her heart, she feels the pain, and if you destroy the heart, she dies. However, this woman has a brother, who was worshipped as a God alongside her in the past. Amanda is likely looking for her brother, and so is Enchantress, but for different reasons. I don't know if they know that I have the totem in which her brother is sealed, but I suspect that they might try to blackmail me into a trade of some sort. Nevertheless, I don't know who Amanda's other meta humans are, but probably they're very powerful too. There's no time to workout teamwork drills that involve Black Siren and Vigilante, so if we end up in a fight to the death, we'll all have to improvise."

 **"Okay okay back up...sir. This Amanda Waller, it seems to me like you have a history with her. Is she your ex girlfriend or something? Is this a hell hath no fury like a woman scorned scenario?"** Ragman asked suspiciously.

"Not exactly. Waller and I are...frenemies. As much as I hate to admit it, she has played a large part in shaping me into the man I am today. In her own dark and twisted way, she always believed in me, still does, and always believed I would be the man I am today. She saw that potential in me. So, she won't try to kill me, I'm just concerned about Enchantress. I think Amanda is playing a very dangerous game, and I don't believe Enchantress can be controlled, at least not for long." Green Arrow explained.

 **"Okay, second question. Is Enchantress your ex girlfriend?"**

"What! No! Why would you...she's not!"

"That's not what she said last night, right, Canary?" Black Siren said with a mischievious glint in her eyes, Ragman and Terrific's heads snapping in Canary's direction, both of them giving her their own version of an accusatory stare. If Black Canary noticed or cared however she gave absolutely no indication whatsoever.

"Well, she did call you her life partner. I literally had nightmares about that, I mean, the way she said it, like you were her soul mate or something. She also said that there is even more darkness in you then there is in this Amanda Waller person, and she seemed...intoxicated by your darkness. That's...really scary, you know. You seem to attract a lot of these kind of people for some reason. Why is that?" Canary asked, although it really didn't seem like she wanted to hear the answer judging by her tone and facial expressions.

"The ramblings of a crazy witch should be the least of our prioreties. She is the ultimate manipulator, remember, not only is she a witch but she is also a 6000 year old one. Fortify your minds, don't let her shake you up, and definitely don't let her undermine your resolve. You have to be prepared for more of these mind games if you're going to survive tonight, okay?" Green Arrow said sagely, effectively avoiding answering the real question altogether.

"Okay, you're right. I'll be sure to remember that." Black Canary replied.

"If it makes you feel any better, boss, I personally love the fact that you have so much darkness. However, every inch of you belongs to me, and me alone. So don't worry, that witch aint getting you as long as I'm around." Black Siren said, squeezing Green Arrow on the shoulder re-assuringly, Green Arrow just glad that she didn't start dry humping him and feeling him up in front of everyone like she had done the previous night.

"Good. Now everyone, get ready to move. We'll be meeting them at the Team Arrow Hanger. In the meantime I'll be giving Vigilante a tour of the facility. Follow me." Green Arrow ordered, Vigilante quickly breaking out of his reverie and following behind the Green Arrow, feeling a little off balance by the multiple revelations of the entire day and more especially of the recent conversation, while at the same time unable to help but to admire Green Arrow's leadership qualities and his state of the art facilities.

"Wait! Since when do we...have a hanger...?" Canary faded off when she realised that Green Arrow and Vigilante were long gone.

"You don't even know that? I guess that makes you just a foot soldier then." Black Siren said mockingly, Canary as a result staring at her with a look as if she was contemplating a number of ways to kill her, but that only made Black Siren's smirk to become a tad bit wider, Ragman and Mr Terrific quickly moving themselves out of the way when they felt the sheer amount of killing intent those two were directing at each other, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire of a battle between people who could pop their eardrums and blood vessels with their vocal cords.

 **Sometime Later: At The Hanger**

 **"Now I totally get why you were so concerned, sir."** Ragman said with shock and wariness.

"Is that...is that a giant Gorilla?" Black Canary asked incredulously.

"That's Grodd, a giant Gorilla with telepathic abilities and human intelligence. The giant next to him is known as King Shark, his real name is Shay Lamden, formerly a marine biologist before the particle accelarator explosion. Next to him is...I don't know that guy..." Green Arrow trailed off as he tried to figure out what the hell that was. It looked like a gigantic man-shaped monster of some sort, green of skin colour and white of hair. It was very tall, almost as tall as King Shark, with similar muscle tone as King Shark, the main difference between the two being the skin colour and the fact that this thing had a human shaped face as opposed to a shark face, and of course it didn't have fins or gills. It was wearing black pants and a form fitting, grey tank top, custom designed obviously, because there was no way he had found a size in any clothing shop.

"In any case, I don't know the lizard guy either, nor do I know tattoe face over there, or that woman next to him. I do know the blonde haired soldier though, that's Colonel Rick Flag, though I am surprised that he is in the Suicide Squad. The beautiful ebony woman is Amanda Waller, don't let her looks deceive you, she is a dragon."

"Oh Oliver, you always say such nice things about me. That's why I like working with you so much." Amanda Waller said in a way that made it hard to tell whether she was serious or not.

"..."

"What? No retort? Well, I suppose I should be used to it by now. Actions speak louder than words, and you're more of a man of action, that's another thing I like about you. Anyway, allow me to fill in the gaps." Amanda said, Oliver deciding to keep his mouth shut so as to not delay the reception of the information that he and his team so desperately craved.

"The Lizard Man as you call him is Waylon Jones, but he goes by the name 'Killer Croc' nowadays. As you may have easily surmised by now, he's a gigantic, humanoid crocodile. The other gigantic green man goes by the name 'Solomon Grundy', you actually know him very well Oliver, after all, you are the one that killed him." Amanda dropped a bomb right then and there, everyone, by everyone meaning Grundy and the entire suicide squad, along with Team Arrow, looking at Oliver with shock, confusion, and wonder, although if Oliver was moved at all by Amanda's words, he certainly did well not to show it.

"Are you trying to tell me that that...thing is Cryrus Gold? I'm sorry but, I don't see the resemblance." Green Arrow replied casually.

 _'Actually, now that I think about it, he does kind of look like a monstrous version of Cyrus Gold.'_ Oliver thought to himself.

"Wow, impressive. You actually guessed correctly. I didn't think you would. What gave it away?" Amanda asked curiously.

"The name 'Solomon Grundy'. I saw a poem with that title when I broke into Cyrus Gold's place." Green Arrow replied simply.

"And that was enough for you to conclude that this guy is Crytus Gold?"

"Well, there's also the fact that Cryrus Gold was pumped full of Mirakuru, and died by a combination of electrotution and having chemicals from a centrifuge fall all over his face. Mirakuru, electrotution, centrifuge chemicals, and than add Amanda Waller to the mix and any number of mutations could have occured, although I never imagined this would be the result. Could something else have happened to cause this?" Oliver asked.

"Toxic waste. His corpse fell into a swamp during transportation where a crooked factory was dumping the stuff. When we came back for the body, this is what we found. He doesn't have memories of his past life, so in a way, he is an entirely different person. We've had to teach him vocabulary from scratch, like a growing child. His speech and intelligence are growing at a rapid pace though." Amanda explained.

"W-wow! That's fascinating. I...I can't even begin to comprehend it. Although, I guess this just comes with the territory now. Everything that happens in Oliver's world is totally insane. Well, I guess it's my world too now." Mr Terrific said with awe and astonishment.

"And tattoe face over there? Who's he? And what's his special power?" Oliver asked curiously.

"His name is Chato Santana, but he goes by El Diablo now. He was born with the ability to create and manipulate fire. His control and mastery over his power is nothing short of amazing. We have yet to see him pushed to his limits however, he seems to have become something of a pacifist recently, but all of that will go out of the window once his life is on the line. He thinks it won't, that he'd rather die than use his power to kill again, but we'll see about that." Amanda said with a sinister smirk plastered on her facial features.

"And the sweet girl over there? What's her name? And what's her...thing?" The Black Canary asked curiously.

"Her name is Mira Killian, she now goes by the name 'Major'. She is originally a human, but now her entire body, with the exception of only her brain, is machine. She is the only one to ever survive this experiment and none of my scientists have been able to figure out what makes her different from all the others. So in essence, she is the first and only of her kind. She is loyal to me, and me alone, and she will protect me and my interests at any cost. She was a well trained soldier as a human, but now she is a perfect soldier. Countless tactical, strategic, combat, and assassination programs have been downloaded into her mind, and state of the art technology has been used to create her body. She is literally a living weapon." Waller explained clearly and concisely.

 _'So, this Mira Killian is her ensurance policy in case one of the suicide squad members goes rogue? Well, the bombs are the actual ensurance, she's more like the last resort strategy. No, that's not it. She's probably ensurance against Enchantress. Waller can't be awake at all times, she has to sleep at some point. So who watches the heart of the witch when she sleeps? Probably this Major person does.'_ Oliver thought as he analized the provocatively dressed android, a woman with sh

 _'A giant sharkman, A giant gorilla, a giant green man, a giant crocodile man, a flame thrower man, an android, a witch, and a military colonel, all under the control of one diabolical woman. This isn't good. No wonder the boss was so concerned.'_ Rory thought warily.

"So, Rick Flag is supporting your project because he's in love with June Moone, who happens to be the vessel of Enchantress?" Oliver asked rhetorically, Amanda's eyes widening again in surprise at Oliver's intuition and analytical skills.

"You figured it out? Was it that obvious that they were in love? I mean, I specifically told them to hide it, and I thought they did well to adhere to my instructions too." Amanda asked.

"They did well, probably no one else would have figured it out. It was also a smart move to order Enchantress to go away as soon as the meeting began. You don't want her to know where you will be and what you will do beforehand, and when she inevitably does, like she knew about this meeting, then it is best to make her go away as soon as she plays her part. However, you are playing a very dangerous game Amanda, Grodd and Enchantress are not people that you want to toy around with." Green Arrow warned with a grave undertone.

"You don't have to worry about Grodd, we took extra precautions. We kept him sedated and operated on his brain, made some adjustments. His ability to control humans or other creatures has been surpressed, so has his ability to read minds. He still has the ability to project his thoughts though, I mean, he still needs to be able to communicate with us. It's a shame really, he's been riduced to being just the muscle of our operation. His ability to read minds and control people would have been a valuable asset, but we couldn't risk getting ourselves controlled or having our minds read, thereby having Grodd take over the operation. As for Enchantress, well, I've got her heart, so she's my bitch. Really Oliver, you worry too much." Amanda said dismissively.

"You don't really understand what's going on do you? Why do you think Enchantress and her brother became immortal? You think it just happened? Well, it didn't just happen. They are immortal because they have the ability to devour souls. In their lifetime they devoured thousands of souls, adding lifetimes to their life span. Every time June Moon becomes Enchantress a piece of her soul is devoured. Eventually there will only be Enchantress, and when that happens, she will completely take over June's body, and she'll no longer need that heart that you have anymore. It will simply wither away, and June's heart will become her new heart. It won't be easy to rip out her new heart, heck, it will be near impossible, even with the help of your suicide squad." Green Arrow said matter of factly.

"What? What is this? You never told me about this part of the deal? Did you know this? Did you know she was being devoured?" Rick Flag asked furiously.

"You're asking the right question, but are you sure you're asking the right person?" Amanda retorted, Rick's eyes widening suddenly as realisation dawned on him, his head snapping in June's direction, a fearful, confused, and betrayed expression morphing into his facial features.

"I...I didn't know! I swear! I mean, I do feel like something has been taken away from me every time I become her, like...like I'm less of what I was before, but I didn't think she was actually...that she was actually devouring me" June cried hysterically, Rick's eyes softening when he saw the love of his life in so much distress, instinctively and protectively enveloping her in his arms as he lovingly comforted her.

"I know what it's like to lose your old lady ese. You should make the most of the time you have with her while you still can. Make love to her like she is the last woman in the world and there's no tommorrow, tell her how much you love her until her ears get sore, and treasure every moment you have with her. Make sure you have no regrets ese." El Diablo said sagely.

 **"So you stopped killing and took up a new occupation as what, Dr Love?"** King Shark asked incredulously.

 **"I dunno bro, I thought that was some good advice yeah. That guy sure has some game."** Killer Croc retorted.

 **"Everyone has game compared to you, so that isn't much of a compliment coming from you."** Grodd retorted, the members of team Arrow unable to get over how weird it was that they were hearing Grodd's voice in their head, whereas meanwhile the members of the suicide squad were laughing at Killer Croc's expense, Killer Croc growling menacingly at the giant, talking gorilla.

"Careful now, or did you forget that electrotution is another function of the micro devices in your heads?" Amanda warned with malicious intent.

"Okay enough of this Waller! Why did you come here? What do you want, and what are you going to do about the fact that you're in over your head?" Oliver asked, as usual, not taking the time to mince his words when it came to Amanda, although to be fair that was how she prefered it anyway.

"You mean besides bragging rights? You know, the whole 'my team is better than yours' thing? Hmm...let me think, oh yes, I wanted to make some additions to my team, namely, Black Siren and Deathstroke. Since you and I go way back I thought I'd run it by you before I..."

"That's not gonna happen, Waller! If you so much as touch either one of them I swear I'll kill you and your entire squad of lunatics...with my bare hands." Oliver said with a tone laced to the brim with sinister intent.

 **"With your bare hands you say?"** King Shark asked with a malicious smirk.

 **"He done lost his mind this kid, that, or he just plain stupid."** Killer Croc retorted.

"I dunno ese, he doesn't look that crazy to me, and he certainly aint stupid. Maybe he has some kind of super power that we don't know about." El Diablo thought out loud.

 **"I'm pretty sure he's an actual idiot if he thinks he can kill me with his puny little hands."** Grodd replied.

 **"Grundy think Grodd speaks truth."** Solomon Grundy spoke for the first time since he arrived.

"Hey wait a minute. Didn't Slade Wilson kill your mother? Why would you protect him?" Rick Flag asked with a confused frown etched on his facial features.

"That wasn't his fault. It was my fault, for injecting him with mirakuru in the first place, and for being a coward and saving my own skin at the expense of someone we both cared about. Slade was grieving, and the mirakuru didn't help matters. The syrum is almost completely drained out of him now, he can go back to living a normal life...as normal as someone like him can live that is. I won't let you idiots punish him for something he had no control over, and you're certainly not getting your hands on Black Siren. She belongs to me...!" Oliver said with a tone that made it clear that he was prepared to go to war over this matter.

"Wow! How possessive of you Ollie. You really love Laurel Lance don't you? No matter what universe she is from, and no matter what version of her appears? I can't even begin to fathom your relationship with Slade Wilson. Colonel Flag is right, the man killed your mother for Pete's sake. I'm not the sentimental type but even I couldn't let something like that slide. I suppose that's the one weakness you have, your compassion and unwavering loyalty to the ones you love."

"His compassion and loyalty are the reason we stand behind him you dragon lady. He doesn't need to rule with fear or manipulation because he has true strength of character, unlike you." Black Siren said much to the surprise of, well, everyone, including Oliver, hell, including Black Siren herself.

"Hey wait a second! Black Siren is...Laurel Lance? B-but how? Isn't she supposed to be dead?" Mr Terrific asked with a tone laced with surprise and confusion.

"I never would have expected to hear something like that from you of all people, Black Siren. Although, I agree that there is something special about Oliver, I knew that from the moment we met. Even so, he still manages to surprise me every single time." Waller said with intrigue. If she was offended by Black Siren's insult to her character then she certainly did well not to let it show at all.

"In any case, Oliver, you know the drill. You can't just make demands and threats like that. If you truly want me to let Slade go, then you gotta give me an incentive to do so..."

"What do you mean let him go? Amanda what the hell have you done?" Oliver demanded authoratively.

"Oh...did I forget to mention that I already have Slade in my possession? Yes Oliver, Slade Wilson is already mine, and I've already injected him with the mirakuru that we cyphoned from the corpses of Slade's henchmen that we took during Slade's attempt to destroy Star City. I'm sure you already knew two corpses went missing, after all, you were the one who destroyed all of the corpses, except for the two that went missing." Amanda said with that trademark insufferable smirk of hers that made Oliver want to break her neck almost every time he saw it.

"N-no! You didn't...!"

"Oh don't be such a worry wat Oliver, we have some of the best neurologists in our ranks. Planting micro scopic bombs in our assets was only our last resort you know. Initially we wanted to be able to reprogram their minds and turn them into upstanding citizens, well, more like upstanding soldiers really. We failed of course, but we did make some strides. You can't cure psychopathy and sociopathy, but you can cure good ol traditional insanity. We've operated on Slade Wilson and we've cured him of his insanity, while Slade gets to keep his mirakuru enhanced abilitites. However, if you want him back...well, like I said, you know the drill."

"Okay, I'll support your program in whatever way I can, and I'll land you a hand whenever you need it. We can have a mutually beneficial alliance, that's what you wanted all along isn't it? That's the real reason you're here? And why you're dangling Slade as bait?" Oliver asked rhetorically.

"Well, yes. However, you can't simply expect me to take your word for it, what are you going to do to prove your commitment to this alliance?" Waller asked with sinister smirk plastered on her facial features.

"If you think I'm going to hand Incubus over to you then I can't believe I didn't realise how totally out of your mind your are until now." Oliver retorted.

"Well...what are you willing to give me then? Because I'm not leaving here with nothing. Tell you what, why don't you hand over Vigilante over there, he certainly fits the profile."

"No can do. He's part of my team now, and he has just began a new path under my guidance. I won't let you have him...but, I do have something that I think you'll very much like. Here, take a look at this..." Oliver trailed off as he handed a tablet over to Amanda.

"China White, Liza Warner, Carrie Cutter aka Cupid, and what's this, the current location of Artemis and Wild Dog? Prometheus's lackeys huh, interesting." Amanda trailed off thoughtfully.

"I recently received intel that China White, Liza Warner, and Carrie Cutter have very recently become good friends, coincidentially a few weeks before they are scheduled to be transported to Iron Heights." Oliver explained.

"So you think that they are planning a break out? You want me to intercept and capture them?" Amanda asked consecutively, and rhetorically.

"Exactly. It shouldn't be too hard, they'll never see you coming, and they won't know what hit em. And as for Artemis and Wild Dog, my initial plan was to kill them, with my bare hands, and watch the life drain out of them. However, since you called...well..."

 **"This guy sure likes killing people with his bare hands huh? I think I might just like him."** Killer Croc thought out loud.

 **"Yeah, he's ayt. I guess working with him won't be as bad as I thought."** King Shark agreed.

 **"Not bad...for a human that is."** Grodd said condescendingly.

"Seems like my team has taken a liking to your...darker side. I'm glad to see that you've finally embraced it, Oliver. Now, as for your offer, I mean, Incubus and Deathstroke would have made way better assets, but this is not that bad, not bad at all actually." Waller said with a sinister smirk that suspiciously looked like a happy smile to Oliver.

"So then, we have a deal? You'll give Slade Wilson back to me?" Oliver asked with almost a growl lurking beneath the surface of his tone, almost as if daring Waller to refuse him.

"As long as I get Digger Harkness aka Captain Boomerang as well. You don't mind if I take him off of your hands do you?"

"I don't give a damn about him. Do as you wish." Oliver said uncaringly.

 _'She didn't even mention Digger Harkness until now, and on top of that, she could have taken him easily when she took Slade from his cell. Most likely, Rick Flag aside, who is only here to pacify June Moone, Waller didn't intend on having humans in her new suicide squad. However, as expected, she couldn't resist recruiting people as skilled and as useful as the five people that I offered her, especially when handed to her on a platter like that. Digger Harkness is neither a meta human nor is he a super soldier like Slade, so he was left behind, but now that she has decided to take in five humans, she has re-evaluated her decision to leave him behind. My guess is, she'll divide the Taskforce into two sub teams. A tactical, covert team of humans lead by Rick Flag, conisting of Rick Flag and the six human prisoners, and a seek and destroy team lead by the Android Major Killian, consisting of super sized and all powerful meta humans...and the meta Gorilla.'_ Oliver thought analytically, and acurately.

 _'The only one who's place would be in question is June Moone/Enchantress. She's a powerful meta human, meaning that she clearly would belong to the meta human team, however, Rick Flag is her watcher, and therefore wouldn't be able to watch her if he was busy leading the human team. Hmm...perhaps I am over thinking this.'_ Oliver thought in the end, debating with himself whether he should just ask Waller what she had up her sleeve instead of trying to figure it out himself.

 _'Well, I suppose Major and Flag could always swap positions.'_ Oliver thought, and also decided to leave it at that for now. He wanted to figure it out in case they ever had to take down the suicide squad, and the chances of them needing to do that some time in the future was always going to be high as long as a wild card like Enchantress was a part of the team. However, there was no point in him tearing his hair apart over that right now, he'd just have to plan for the worst and hope for the best, that was all he could really do at the moment.

"June, be a darling and bring out your evil roommate. We need her to bring Slade Wilson over here." Waller ordered, the apprehensive face that June always spotted when asked to call out Enchantress being matched perfectly by her boyfriend this time, who vowed to himself that he and Waller would have a serious talk when this meeting was over about Waller basically, and casually ordering that more of June's soul be devoured by that hell spawn Enchantress.

 _'Slade. Waller said that a team of neurologists operated on his brain and cured him of his madness. However, whatever part of his brain they operated on would have simply been regenerated by the Mirakuru. I should know, after all, I was the one that shoved an arrow through his brain, and he completed regenerated the damage. His eye however didn't regenerate from that incident, which means that, an organ that is completely destroyed, down to its roots, cannot be regenerated, because there is nothing to regenerate. My guess is that the Mirakuru causes some kind of tuma in the brain, and by completely destroying or removing the tuma, they have cured Slade of his insanity, without removing the mirakuru from his blood stream and cells.'_ Oliver concluded.

 _'Still, we now have a task on our hands. Our team has just rapidly expanded, from four members to seven members, and all three of our new recruits are unpredictable and volatile, with uncertain loyalties. And then there is the fact that a cure exists for the Mirakuru, but Slade doesn't need a cure anymore, in fact, now we need the opposite, a way to prevent enemies from simply curing him during battle, thereby significantly weakening both him and the team in the process. Basically, Curtis and I will have to find a way to create an anti-cure serum, not an easy task at all.'_ Oliver thought warily.

Some might have wondered why Oliver was only worried about Slade getting cured of Mirakuru but not himself. However, Mirakuru 2.0, despite sharing the same name as the original Mirakuru, was actually vastly different from the initial version of it. For one, Oliver had already tested to see if the cure worked on him, and it didn't have an effect at all. Secondly, there was no chance of anyone fashioning a cure for his Mirakuru 2.0, because one, no one but he even knew about it's existence, and two, it was impossible to cure anyway, because Mirakuru 2.0 changed his entire dna make up entirely, to the point that, instead of 23 pairs of chromosones, Oliver actually had 24 pairs of chromosones, which meant that, he was now actually an entirely different spieces. In other words, the changes his body had undergone were irreversable.

 _'Still, I believe we can make this team work, and when it does, nothing will be able to stop us. We'll put the fear of god in every criminal that exists in Star City, and anyone that even thinks about becoming one. Amanda...you too will learn your place in due time.'_ Oliver thought ominously.

 **End of Chapter.**

 **Okay guys it's been a while. I'm not particularly impressed with this chapter, had a bit of writer's block but I think I know where I'm going now.**

 **I got great plans for enchantress. Her battle with Oliver will be more mental, scheming, and plotting than physical, but I assure you it will have you biting your nails. Eventually it will become physical as well but that is still a while away.**

 **Vigilante. Oliver is using brute force and fear right now to get him to behave, but the hope from Oliver is that his feelings for Dinah and the respect he will and is already developing for Oliver will be the reason that he stays in the team, at least I hope I was able to give you that impression in this chapter.**

 **Talia, well, what can I say. She's unpredictable, and very flexible and adaptable. It's amazing how quickly she was able to re-adjust herself. One still has to wonder though how this affects her relationship with Black Siren, or whether she still plans to destroy Oliver or not. Even I don't know the answer to that (My style is to let the story tell itself, to sort avoid inserting my personal bias into the plot. Although it is impossible to completely erase personal bias).**

 **Finally, Oliver is in a deep hole, surrounded by EXTREMELY dangerous women. Nyssa, Laurel, Talia, Amanda Waller, Enchantress, etc etc. In as much as I believe fanfic has to be different from canon (otherwise why not just watch the show on the net/tv), I do also firmly believe that inspiration must always come from the source material. For instance, in the first two seasons, we saw that Oliver was always attracted to dangerous women, and they to him. Shado (assassin/killer, warrior), Sara Lance (Assassin/Vigilante), The Huntress (assassin/psychopath), Amanda Waller, Ravager, Talia, etc etc.**

 **By attraction I don't mean only in the romantic sense, just that, he seemed drawn to them and they to him, and he seemed most comfortable in his skin when he was around or with them. When he started dating Felicity it's like...it's like he's this guy pretending to be something he's not, like a shadow of his former/real self, and he's weak and too passive/submissive.**

 **So as a result, I have decided to stick to that theme that made Arrow so enthralling in the first two and a half seasons. Season 5 was also good and again, playing Oliver off of a dangerous woman made things a lot more interesting (Talia training Oliver and turning him into a psycho killer and then trying to destroy him later on, and Oliver making his come back near the end of the season).**

 **I'm no feminist (nor am I sexist mind you), but I can't deny that these types of women bring out the "Best" out of Oliver, and the best of Oliver brings out the best of Arrow.**

 **Anyway, thanks again for reading guys and I hope you all enjoyed it.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Arrow or any other series I might use for inspiration.

 _ **To Complete The Team**_

 _It's been six whole months now, six months since my team and I met with the suicide squad, six months since I was reunited with my brother in everything but blood, Slade Wilson, and six months since I married my second wife, Talia Al Ghul._

 _The marriage has been going well all things considered. Talia and Nyssa have behaved, and Nyssa has reluctantly accepted the newest addition to our union. It's not like this is something I wanted to do against her will, but there clearly was no other choice available, and she appears to have come to that realisation too._

 _As far as Laurel was concerned, I quickly became aware of the fact that I was completely defenseless to her charms. I love her dearly, and I am sexually attracted to her. I can resist her but only so long as she is not actively trying to seduce me. I want to be with her but it is a selfish desire, one that can only be fulfilled at the expense of many other innocent lives, for there would inevitably be war if I renaged on my vows to Nyssa and Talia._

 _I could always marry her and make her my third wife, but I doubt Talia and Nyssa would accept it. Nyssa accepted Talia because she is her sister and because the fate of the league and maybe even the world was resting on her acceptance. Laurel, earth 1 Laurel was her best friend, but she wasn't her sister, the fate of the world and the league doesn't rest on a union with Laurel, and this isn't even the same Laurel that Nyssa befriended._

 _Talia might or might not accept it. She's power hungry, and that might dissuade her from acepting a third equal partner in the union. However, for that same reason, she might welcome Laurel with open arms due to how much power she posseses because of her meta human abilities. Laurel would be an asset to the league, and Talia is not only a very pragmatic person, but also takes pride in that fact._

 _At the end of the day, I could overrule both of them and marry Laurel anyway, but I'm not that kind of person and I'm quite certain they would be plotting ways to get rid of each other from the get go if I did that, and that wouldn't end well at all. Fortunately, Sarab and Katana have returned to the league due to the fact that Wild Dog and Artemis have been captured by Amanda and have since become a part of the suicide squad, meaning that my son and his mother are no longer in any immediate danger, although I still left a team of league assassins with the mission to blend into the neighbourhood and keep watch over the two of them._

 _Laurel has spent 70 percent of her time training with Katana and 30 percent with Dinah and I. The reason for this was so that Katana can use her special hypnotic therapy and training to help Laurel to develop emotion and impulse control. I explained the situation to Dinah and she has acted as a buffer between Laurel and I, making sure that I am never left alone with her, telling me that there was no way that she would leave me at the mercy of that, in her own words, 'diabolically manipulative bitch'._

 _However, Vigilante finally revealed his true identity to Dinah and the rest of the team. That's good news, because he was the only one still hiding his true identity. Dinah, understably, is pissed off at me for keeping the truth from her all this time, and today is the first time that I am supposed to meet up with her and Laurel for their training since the Vigilante reveal. I just hope that she's not pissed off enough to leave me at Laurel's mercy._

 _Nevertheless, Laurel and Dinah have made incredible strides over the last six months. They have both achieved an incredible mastery over their powers. Laurel's power is still stronger than Dinah's for some reason. My study has revealed that she naturally has stronger vocal cords than Dinah. Most likely, she had stronger vocals even when they were human, and now that I think about it, Laurel was always a very good singer, she always had such a strong voice._

 _They've both put a hell of a lot of effort in their training, but as long as Laurel doesn't slack off, it appears as though she will always be stronger than Dinah, at least vocally. There are other ways to fight of course, so it doesn't neccassary mean Dinah loses to Laurel in battle, although, she has lost 75 percent of her sparring sessions with Laurel. I suppose that has something to do with Laurel's extra training with Katana._

 _Most impressively, the two of them have finally mastered the ability that we discovered during their first encounter, that being the ability to create breaches and teleport through them. Teaching them to access two different tunes at the same time was ridiculously difficult, in fact, it is an ancient technique that monks of old used in the old days. I found out about it in the League of Shadows library, and first learned it myself so that I can teach it to Laurel and Dinah._

 _The reason they needed to learn this technique was so that they didn't always have to work together in order to open a breach. For them to open a breach two specific, opposing frequencies are required, which is why it took the two of them to open one. However, with this technique, each individual can open their own breach without the help of the other._

 _There were however complications. For one, unlike Cisco 'Vibe' Ramon, Laurel and Dinah do not have the ability to sense vibrations and different frequencies. Well, actually they do, but there are levels to this thing. Cisco can sense vibrational frequencies from across the multiverse, in other words, inter-dimensional vibration sensing. To compare Dinah and Laurel's vibration sensing to that would be like comparing a lake to the entire ocean. There is no comparison._

 _This means that Laurel and Dinah, while they can open breaches to other universes, cannot determine which unverse they have opened a breach to. The good news however is that they can teleport us to anywhere on our earth with pin point accuracy, their vibrational and sound frequency sensing allows them to do at least that much._

 _Of course I wasn't about to settle for that, after all, I have access to all the information that Team Flash has ever since I infiltrated their system, meaning that I have the files that Cisco and Barry have collected on the multiverse. Their files are very detailed, down to the fact that there are 51 earths and all the frequencies of said earths. I also have the schematics to the device that Cisco created in order to allow Supergirl, an actual alien super hero from Earth 38, to travel to our earth._

 _This information, along with my study of Dinah and Laurel's powers, has allowed me to develop a similar device that allows me to teleport to wherever I want within our earth and within the parallel earths. This original design of the device was in the form of a utility bracelet/wristband similar to my utility watch, but eventually I was able to intergrate the design into the utility watch itself._

 _My device has its limitations of course. It takes an enormous amount of energy to open a breach, and there is only so much energy that can be contained within a wrist band sized device, and as a result, I can only store enough energy for two inter-dimensional jumps before the device has to recharge again, and it takes half a dayfor the device to recharge._

 _In Dinah and Laurel's case, I have devised a choker for them to wear around their necks not so different from the meta human strangler except with a different function. This choker is called ISE, Inter-Dimensional Sonic Enabler. This device first and foremost is meant to protect them from sonic dampeners, so that no one can supress their powers during battle or otherwise. Its other function is that it enables them to tune into the frequency of a specific earth in the multiverse that they want to teleport to._

 _Of course I warned them not to rely on these devices but rather to try and learn all the frequencies of the different earths off by heart so that they can do it naturally, without the aid of technology. Over-reliance is not a good thing, I don't have a choice in this matter, but they do. If we are ever captured and our tech is taken away, or our tech is damaged or malfunctions for some reason, we will need to rely on them to take us where we need to go. As expected, both Dinah and Laurel have mastered this ability, and of course, they don't have the same limitation that I have with my device because their sonic scream generates the energy required to open the breach, so they can pretty much dimension hop for as many times as they can scream._

 _Deathstroke has joined the league of shadows, but works predominantly with Team Arrow. Laurel has also joined the league of shadows. The reason for this is because they can't ever have a normal life again. Slade is an international criminal, and Laurel is, for all intents and purposes, dead and burried, before the eyes of the whole city. Therefore, the only place left for them is the league._

 _I find it interesting how shocked Talia pretended to be when she saw Laurel the day I introduced her to our brethren, pretending not to know anything about her, without knowing that Laurel already told me about what happened, and without knowing that, even if Laurel hadn't told me, I would have known because I had already reviewed the footage from Star Labs cameras, after all, I do have unresricted access as far as Star Labs is concerned._

 _Nyssa on the other hand was genuinely shocked, she had no idea, and the first thing she did, naturally, was to try and reconnect with her best and only friend. Of course said attempt failed miserably, Laurel was in no way interested in forming a friendship with someone who is standing directly between me and her being together. Nyssa was devastated, but she is slowly coming to terms with the situation._

 _I've told Laurel to be a model league assassin, to become the best and most important asset in the league, and to win everyone's respect, loyalty, and admiration. She has to become so important, so instrumental, so well liked, so admired, and so trusted and respected that when the time comes, and she has to be rewarded for her efforts and contribution, no one will be able to decline her demand to be wed to Ra's Al Ghul, not even me. That is the only way we will be able to be together._

 _Traditionally it is the man that has to prove his worth in order to win the hand of the woman, but this is the 21st century, and we don't exactly have much of a choice in this situation. This is the only way, it will determine how serious she is about us being together, although I wouldn't blame her at all if at some point she decided that it just isn't worth it. I would totally understand, no one should have to go through so much just to be with the person they love, and who loves them back._

 _In any case, other than that, things have been good at the league. Construction of the Hive has begun. It should be complete and ready for our people to move into in the next four months. It's much sooner than originally forecast, however, our numbers have doubled since the merger, and the ability to teleport materials will also speed up the progress significantly._

 _Star City is now officially one of the safest places in the world. Crime has been steadily dropping since I changed my ways and took the serum. It dropped even faster when Curtis and Rory joined, and again even faster when Dinah joined. Now, crime is at just 2 percent, all the way down from 20 percent. We barely have anything to do but patrol the city now. Our numbers enable the team to seperate into two factions on patrol, thereby covering a wider area of the city. Criminals are no longer flocking to Star City, criminals are actually trying to escape Star City._

 _In other news, Amanda and I have kept in contact, and she has been very busy across the entire world. King Shark, Grodd, Grundy, Killer Croc, these monsters have been reported to have been appearing all over the world. The public doesn't know why this is happening, but I know why, and the answer is...Amanda Waller._

 _She's gaining influence all across the globe and gathering international allies and supporters. Initially I thought she would use direct force to take control of ARGUS, but she's using a more delicate approach, which is impressive, for her at least. The old her would have just gone straight to ARGUS and given them an ultimatum: Fall in line, or die._

 _However, at this rate, the authorities will be begging her to retake control of ARGUS. I don't even know why she felt she needed my help. I mean, Oliver Queen is just the mayor of a small city, I'm not the President, I'm not even a Governor, or a Senator. Still, I suppose I have no choice but to help her, she made sure of that, by forcing upon me the duty to find a way for her to stop Enchantress from devouring June Moon's soul, as if that is even possible, especially since John Constantine is pre-occupied with being stuck in hell at the moment. At this rate, the only thing I can do is to prepare for the day that Amanda loses control of Enchantress and try to defeat and kill her in combat, a very difficult task._

 **Currently:**

"Brie, how are you doing today?" Oliver asked with a friendly tone.

"How the hell do you think? You ask me the same thing every fucking day you come here and I tell you the exact same thing! What do you want with me anyway? Why are you so nice to me after everything that I did to your precious Felicity and those Board Members?" Brie Larvan, formerly known as the Bug Eyed Bandit, asked incredulously. She is a blonde haired, bespectacled, and beautiful woman, although most people would argue that she is as ugly on the inside as she is beautiful on the outside given the nature of her crimes. She was sitting on a wheel chair in a special prison cell that the mayor had organised for her, denied of access to any form of technology with the exception of a television.

"When you woke up from your coma, nobody came to see you, nobody came to see you even when you were in the coma. Brie, I'm not judging you or trying to make you feel bad, but surely you realise why you walk alone in the world don't you?"

"Yes, it is the burden that comes with greatness. It is a road walked..."

"Brie, come on..." Oliver cut in before Brie could finish speaking, Brie turning her head away and refusing to look at him or even to acknowledge his words.

"Okay, look, I know there is a struggle within you, between the darkness and the light within. When you invented your bees, your colleagues wanted to use them to help people, but you were not interested in helping people, you were only interested in making profits and wanted to sell your product to the military. However, Palmer Tech invented the spinal chip and did the same thing as you did, you became enraged and tried to forcefully steal their tech. Now, it could be that your motivation was purely selfish in that you didn't want to become a paraplegic, or it could be that your eyes were finally opened and you were finally able to see where your colleagues from Mercury Labs were coming from..."

"I already knew exactly where they were coming from! It wasn't that I didn't understand, I understood it perfectly! But it was MY invention, MINE! I should have beeen the one who gets to decide what happens to it, not them. They didn't just try to dictate what happens to my invention, but actually stole it from me and cast me out on the sidelines. They deserved everything they got as far as I'm concerned. Do you know how it feels to work so hard on something only for someone to just swoop in and take it away from you?" Brie said angrily.

"Not exactly, no. I'm sure it hurts a lot, but you didn't have to kill them. You could have just...given them an ultimatum they couldn't refuse, you know, tell them to back down or else..." Oliver said with a sinister undertone, much to Brie's surprise, her eyes snapping in Oliver's direction, wide from shock as she couldn't quite believe that those words just came out of the mayor's mouth.

"Wha...what is your goal here exactly? You've been working me since I came out of the coma. What do you want? The secrets of my Bee Technology?"

"Not at all, I already have the secrets to your Bee Tech, I'm here for something else. Now, for your crimes, there is no way I can get you out of prison, at least, not legally..." Oliver trailed off with a mischievious glint in his eyes, Brie's eyes widening with a combination of horror, confusion, and excitement.

"Why would...who are you exactly, Mr Mayor?" Brie asked suspiciously.

"I am Oliver Queen, also known as Al Sa Him, but mainly known as Ra's Al Ghul in the underworld. Secretly I am also the man behind the hood of the Green Arrow." Oliver said dramatically, pin drop silence taking hold of the customised prison cell as Brie looked at Oliver as if he had grown a second head.

"It's true, as Green Arrow, I am the leader of Team Arrow, a Hero Association that protects the good people of this City from criminals. As the Mayor, I help to inspire change, goodwill, and prosperity for the citizens of this city, and as Ra's Al Ghul, I control an army of assassins and we help the world to grow and evolve in the way that it is meant to be. I can't have you involved in the Mayor's activities, nor can I have you involved at Queen Tech Consolidated. You're a criminal, and it will be bad to have you anywhere near Mayor Queen and Billionaire Philantrapist Oliver Queen's life. However, as Ra's Al Ghul, and as Green Arrow, I would be honored to have you by my side." Oliver continued as if nothing happened at all, as if Brie wasn't looking at him with a look like her brain had just stopped functioning.

 _'I can't have Brie join the suicide squad, she would easily escape and break all the other criminals out as well, hacking the explosive devices on their heads would be child's play for her. I can't let her rot in prison either, her abilities are too useful, and we need a replacement for Overwatch. Brie is perfect in the sense that she can watch over us from the bunker whilst her bees actively help us on the field. It's risky to bring her into the fold yes, but she has so much potential.'_ Oliver thought contemplatively.

"Y-you're serious aren't you?" Brie asked incredulously.

"I am, Brie. Felicity 'Overwatch' Smoak has been released from her duties because of blatant insubordination, so I need a replacement for her. Of course, you're not just a replacement because you can do so much more for us than she could. Your Bee-Man monster was quite formidable in battle, and the ability of your bees to go into small spaces that we can't fit is a valuable asset for an assassin."

"I'll do it!" Brie exclaimed excitedly.

"Just like that? I expected a bit of resistance."

"Yes! I'll do it! I mean, I always thought super heroes were too boring but to think that you have your own army of assassins that control and shape the world from the shadows? That's like, a dream come true for me." Brie said with stars in her eyes.

 _'She's a good match for the league. She has the killer instinct to mercilessly slay her enemies, a needed requirement to become an assassin. She is also very proficient in the art of stealth and espionage due to the abilities of her bees and her propensity for hacking. All she needs is a strict code of conduct instilled into her to override her obscure moral campass, and that is where The League Of Shadows and Team Arrow come in.'_ Oliver thought analytically.

"Brie, we kill people, but we don't kill innocent people. I need to make sure that we have the same definition of the word 'innocent'." Oliver said with a grave undertone.

"It's not like I have anything else going for me Mr Queen. I don't have friends and my family has abandoned me. I can never live a normal life again, but everyone needs a purpose in life. I wanted to use my skills for the military, and you have your own army of super cool assassins. I believe death is a solution against evil people, and you kill evil people. I love technology and science, and you own a technology and scientific research company. Mr Mayor, you and I are a match made in heaven. I would be honored to be your new Overwatch." Brie said as if she had just received true enlightment for the first time in her life, experiencing, for the first time, a true moment of clarity.

"You don't have to call yourself that, nor do you have to call yourself the Bug Eyed Bandit anymore. From now on, you are Killer Bee, a member of the League of a Shadows, and an important asset for Team Arrow. As for your breakout, we, we as in, the league of shadows, will stage a breakout for you, and then you will die during the escape. Your death will be staged of course, you won't really be dead. Approximately six months later Killer Bee will appear as a member of Team Arrow. Congratulations, you just made it, as you are now filling the last available spot on Team Arrow." Oliver said with a kind smile, the kind of smile Brie hadn't seen directed at her in such a long time that she didn't even realise how much she missed it until now, a smile full of kindness, compassion, and sincerity.

"This...this is so awesome! I can't wai...hold on! Why do I only appear after six months as a member of Team Arrow?" Brie asked suspiciously.

"Six months is the minimum required time for League Training. Everyone has to go through the six month training and conditioning program before they become official members of the League of Shadows, Although the time can be significantly shortened in special cases where the recruit is already a highly skilled warrior when they joined the organisation, which is not so in your case" Oliver explained thoroughly.

"Training and conditioning? Do I look like someone capable of training and conditioning excercises to you?" Brie asked incredulously, not realising what Oliver actually meant by the word ' _conditioning'_ , as Oliver was actually talking about mental conditioning as opposed to physical, essentially meaning that he was basically going to brainwash her.

"Would it make you think any differently if I told you that Queen Tech Consolidated has re-engineered the spinal chip that gave Felicity Smoak the ability to walk again?" Oliver asked with a wry smile, Brie's eyes lighting up with excitement and pure, unadulterated joy, squeeling excitedly as she tackled the mayor into the ground and gave him a big, strong, hug, or at least would have if only she could get out of that damn chair.

"Okay, someone's excited." Oliver pointed out the obvious.

"Are you kidding me? This is like the best thing that ever happened to me in my entire life! I...I don't know how I can ever pay you back for this!" Brie babbled excitedly.

"You don't have to pay me. You'll get the chip for free, and we'll distribute it to both private and public hospitals at an affordable price for everyone." Oliver explained.

"W-who are you? I mean, what happened to the priveledged playboy Oliver Queen? How did you turn into...this?" Brie asked in disbelief.

"Everyone has a moment of awakening. A moment that triggers the mind and the senses, forcing the person to come to a moment of clarity about who it is that they are or should be, and what it is that they have to do or should be doing. Some people end up losing their way during the journey and end up needing a re-awakening of sorts. My awakening was when I was stranded at Lian Yu, and my re-awakening was when Laurel Lance was killed by Damian Dark. I believe you experienced your awakening just a few minutes ago, and as your leader and mentor, my duty is to groom you so well that, unlike me, you never need a re-awakening. Brie, you and I are going to do great things together."Oliver said charismatically, Brie barely able to contain the intrigue and excitement that Oliver was digging out of the deepest and darkest depths of her very soul itself.

 _'This is so awesome! Mayor Queen is so cool! My gosh! I feel like I'm in my own personal comic book world. I can't believe I'm going to become a superheroin assassin.'_ Brie thought happily.

 **Later that Night: Team Arrow Training Facility**

"Laurel. You're late." Oliver said as he got up from a meditative position, having been meditating for two hours straight now as he waited for the arrival of his...now that he thought about it he didn't quite know how to categorize his relationship with Laurel.

They weren't lovers, because they were not having sex with each other nor were they able to enjoy and explore the depth of intimacy that is typically experienced by lovers, but at the same time they weren't just friends either, nor did they have a sibling type relationship exactly. Technically she wasn't even his ex, because his ex was Earth One's Laurel, and this was Earth 2 Laurel. This was truly a unique situation, so much so that Oliver doubted that there was anyone else in the same or similar situation as him in the entire multiverse.

"I'm earlier than your precious Dinah though." Laurel retorted as she sauntered over to the object of her affections, who also happened to be her boss.

"So you two are having a competition for who can arrive the latest for training sessions? Is that what you're telling me?" Oliver asked sarcastically.

"Oh please Ollie. We both know why fake me isn't here. She's angry at you for keeping such a big secret from her...or is she?" Laurel asked cryptically.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Oliver asked with a small frown.

"I mean..." Laurel drawled out as she got closer to Oliver, so close that Oliver was sure that she was about to kiss him, but she didn't, instead, she moved her head passed him until her lips were almost touching his left ear.

"Is she angry because you lied to her about Vincent, or is she angry because his survival and being part of the team gets in the way of her plan?" Laurel whispered sensually, confusing the hell out of Oliver, both with her words and her actions, Oliver not sure whether he was being seduced or what the hell was going on.

"Part of her plan? What plan?" Oliver asked incredulously.

"Geez you are such a typical man Oliver!" Laurel said, pushing Oliver away as far away from her as she could, or at least tried to, her efforts having absolutely no visible effect on him at all, much to Laurel's increasing chagrin.

"If by that you mean I'm not a mind reader, then yes, I'm such a typical man." Oliver retorted.

"Don't get clever with me Ollie! That woman has the hots for you, and she's up to something. I know it...I can feel it in my blood." Laurel said with a frown on her facial features, as if she was trying to figure out some kind of complicated puzzle.

"She knows I'm married to two women, and she knows I'm crazy about you without me even having to tell her. There's no way she'd still be trying to get with me after learning that much even if she intitially wanted to."

"Even if she initially wanted to? You still think that she never wanted you in the first place? Just how dumb are you...?"

"Watch it! Just because I love you doesn't mean you get to talk to me like that. Don't confuse my love and respect for you with weakness. That's not a mistake you want to be making..." Oliver warned with a grave undertone.

"What are you going to do? Kill me?"

"We both know that's never going to happen. However, there are other ways to deal with insurbodination, and some things, believe it or not, are worse than even death itself." Oliver said coldly.

"Really? Now you've peaked my curiosity. Obviously I've been a very bad girl, and I need to be punished for it. Please, great leader, put me back in my place. Punish me for my sins. Make me moan and groan, make me beg for forgiveness." Laurel said with a sultry tone, grabbing Oliver by the back of the head and pulling him into a deep, wet, and passionate kiss, or at least would have and was about to when she was interupted by a third party.

"Ahem! Pardon the interuption." Curtis said as he made his presence known, Laurel rolling her eyes in frustration at having her first chance in a long time to be alone with Oliver interupted.

"What do you want, Afro?" Laurel asked irritably.

"Hey, that's racist...isn't it?" Curtis said with a tone that was nowhere near sure about what he was saying.

"I was refering to your hairstyle dufus." Laurel said with a bored tone.

"Oh...ehehehe, yeah, not so racist after all. My bad." Curtis said sheepishly.

"Is something the matter, Curtis? You're an hour and a half early for your check in time." Oliver asked curiously.

"Ummmm...yeah, I came here to talk about Overwatch." Curtis said, instantly contemplating whether he should carry on with this conversation when he saw how quickly Oliver's expression darkened at the mention of that name.

"What about her?" Oliver asked with a tone and look that made Curtis have to hold back the urge to scream like a little girl and run for his life.

"Ummm...look, boss, I know I'm a tech expert, but I'm also a combat specialist thanks to you and thanks to my T-spheres. I feel like I'm being seriously underused just sitting here and watching over everyone from behind a desk and a computer while everyone else is busy kicking ass and taking names on the streets. I know that's not the point of the operation but Oliver, I worked my ass off so that I can go out there into the streets with you, and now you're just going to put me on the shelf like this? I'm sorry but that's just not right." Curtis said with frustration, secretly giving himself a mental pat on the back for having the courage to say all of that to Oliver without stuttering or backing down midway through.

"So you want him to bring back that blonde bimbo just so that you can feel better about yourself?" Laurel asked condescendingly.

"W-what? No! That's not..."

"Hold on a second, have you been communicating with her? Did you tell her where our new base of operations is? How much have you told her?" Laurel asked suspiciously.

"I haven't...! Look, okay I've been talking to her about stuff, but I haven't told her any of our secrets. I just...may have inquired about her willingness to come back to the team. I'm just...I don't want to be the guy behind the computer. I just don't. Maybe from time to time when it's neccessary, but not indefinitely."

"Hmmm...as much as I hate that he went and spoke to her behind our backs, he kind of does have a point you have to admit. I mean, the guy is more than a little useful on the field. He's not being used to his full potential at all currently." Laurel said, shrugging her shoulders when Oliver looked at her with a betrayed facial expression.

"Okay, give me six months and I'll have everything sorted. Six months, and you'll be back on the field, you have my word." Oliver said reassuringly.

"Six months? That's way too long! How in the hell does it take six months to call Felicity and ask her to come ba..."

"Curtis! Felicity is not coming back. Now I know she's your friend and all, and you worked closely together at Palmer Tech, but...she is not my friend, and I have very good reasons for not wanting her back in the team."

"Is it because you guys used to date?" Curtis blurted out, causing a deep frown to appear on both Oliver's and Laurel's facial features.

"No Curtis, that is not the reason. Besides, I've already recruited someone else for the job so don't think for one second that I haven't been thinking about your situation." Oliver said firmly.

"If you already have a recruit then why is it taking a whole six months for he or she to take over Overwatch's position?" Curtis asked incredulously.

"Kid has a point, Ollie." Laurel said with a raised eyebrow.

"Curtis, didn't it take six months of training for you and Rory to become approved as members of the team? Why should it be different for this person?" Oliver asked rhetorically.

"Oh...! Yeah...it did, you...ummm...you have a point, but you also kind of don't." Curtis said, effectively inducing a death glare from Oliver.

"You're replacing Overwatch. Why does this person need combat training if they're going to be sitting in a chair and typing code on a computer? It doesn't really make all that much sense." Curtis said, not convinced at all that Oliver even really had a new recruit lined up for the job.

"Everyone needs to be combat trained. That's the new policy, you of all people should understand the importance of that better than anyone." Oliver explained.

"Okay, what's his or her name?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not giving away the person's name yet. You'll find out when she joins the team like everyone else. However, if there is anything that you should know then it's that she is way better than Overwatch. She's just as good if not better at hacking, and she's one hundred percent more versatile. She can watch over us behind the computer screen and physically help us on the battlefield...simultaneously." Oliver explained, a mischievious smirk morphing into his facial features when he saw the shock and confusion on Curtis' facial expression.

"Are you trying to tell us that this person can clone herself?" Laurel asked incredulously.

"Not quite. Look, I don't want to disclose anything about the recruit until she is ready to join us. I have my reasons and I need you all to respect that. I also need you to trust me. I have not lead you astray thus far, so there really is no justification for all of this doubt. I know what I'm doing, and it's for the best, not just for me, but for the team as well." Oliver said charismatically.

"I do trust you Oliver, but it's just...I can't do this for another six months. I just can't."

"Okay, fine, make it three months then. I'll train her for three months and then she'll join the team and she'll learn the rest on the job. Can you give us that much time at least?" Oliver asked.

"Okay, I suppose I can do that. I mean, I know it might seem like I'm being childish and rebellious, and maybe I am, but thank you anyway, for understanding." Curtis said awkwardly.

"It's okay Curtis. I run a multi billion dollar company remember. I'm used to this kind of thing, employees feeling under-used and under-appreciated. You're not an employee of course, you're a precious and valuable comrade, and that makes it all the more important to me that you're in a good space. Besides, it's life and death when we go out there. If you're unsatisfied with your role then you won't be fully committed to it, and if you're not fully committed then you're not focused, and if you're not focused then it undermines your ability to look out for us. That's something that I simply cannot have in my team." Oliver said with a grave undertone, Curtis unable to help but to feel horrible and guilt ridden about doubting Oliver even for a split second, unable to believe how childish and naïve he must have looked and sounded to Oliver for throwing a tantrum over something like that, the fact that Oliver didn't even lash out at him making him feel even more silly and embarassed about it for some reason.

"Well I for one am glad that you two were able to quickly resolve this conflict. Now that it's all set and done, would you mind excusing yourself and going...anywhere in the world that isn't here? In case you didn't notice, me and Ollie were in the middle of someth..." Laurel trailed off as Oliver's phone started ringing.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Laurel exclaimed as she threw her hands in the air in frustration, starting to wonder of there wasn't an invisible force conspiring to deny her the chance to be with Oliver.

"It's Lila Diggle, must be something serious if she's calling." Oliver said as he answered the phone.

"Lila. It's been a while." Oliver greeted.

 _"Oliver! I need your help! John has been arrested! He's being charged for illegal arms deal and misuse of military assets to smuggle drugs into the country. He didn't do it Oliver, he's being framed!"_

"What do you need me to do?" Oliver asked tensely, not even asking how sure Lila was about John being framed because it was too obvious as far as he was concerned. There was just no way John would do something like that, no matter the circumstances. Even if it turned out John had actually done it, it could only be because someone had blackmailed him into it so it was all the same to Oliver.

 _"I need you to help me break him out of prison. He wasn't given a fair trial Oliver, the whole thing was a set up. Everyone who wasn't in on the set up was killed. John was only spared so that he can take the fall. It's John's word against the testimony of eight witnesses, witnesses who are actually accomplices. If we don't get him out of there he's going to be executed..."_

"Say no more. I'll take care of the rest." Oliver said reassuringly.

 _"Wait! There's an anti-molecular substance that ARGUS has developed that you can use to.."_

"No! John's escape cannot be traced back to you or ARGUS. Let me handle this. John will be back in your arms in two days, three days maximum. I need you to trust me, okay?"

 _"I...okay, I trust you. Oliver...thank you."_

"John's one of my closest friends, in fact, he's family, and so are you and John junior. There's no need to thank me, this is what family is for." Oliver replied compassionately.

 _"Thank you. That means a lot to me, especially right now."_

"No problem. Just send me all the information that you've gathered about the situation, where he's being held, the schematics of the buidling, the security details, etc. I want everything by the end of the night so that I can make preparations."

 _"I'm sending everything as we speak. You should have everything by the end of this call."_

"Okay good. We'll rendezvous in two or three days. I'll send you the location and you can meet John and I there. Until then, hold on tight and take good care of yourself." Oliver said as he hung up the phone.

"What was that about?" Curtis asked curiously.

"No time to explain. I'm going to be away for the next two or three days. While I'm gone you will operate in two sets of teams. Team one will be Deathstroke, Black Siren, and Mr Terrific. Team 2 is Vigilante, Black Canary, and Ragman. Deathstroke and Black Canary are team leaders and Deathstroke is commander in chief. Understood?"

"Let me go with you. Let the others combine into one five man team so that I can go with you."

"There's no need for that. John is going through a lot right now, and he doesn't know about you. He's already in emotional turmoil, seeing you will just make things worse for him. Remember, it was mostly his fault that you ended up de...I mean that the other you ended up dead. He still feels guilty about it, and I don't want to put you in that situation either. So please, stay here and help the others. You're needed here." Oliver pleaded, Curtis marveling at how Oliver could make a plea with so much power and authority that it felt like it was a command as opposed to a plea or a request.

"Mostly his fault? It was entirely his fault wasn't it? Didn't you warn him countless times about his brother? Not only did he refuse to believe you despite your vast experience and better intuition, but he was blatantly insubordinate and brought his brother along for the mission anyway. It was entirely his fault Ollie, make sure he understands that the next time you see him." Laurel countered.

"It was partly my fault too Laurel. I knew John was compromised, but I was too weak to make a firm stand on the issue. I should have put him on the shelf for the mission and left both he and his brother out of it. Anyway, this is exactly why I don't want you to come with. What happened cannot be changed and to hear something like that coming from you might destroy him."

"Rightfully so! He deserves to be destroyed!" Laurel said, throwing her hands in the air in exasperation.

"Look at it another way though. As horrible as it may sound, had Earth one Laurel not died, would you be able to be by Oliver's side right now? Do you think the other Laurel would have allowed you to be anywhere near him? Would you have even come to this Earth looking for him?" Curtis asked rhetorically.

"Fine! Whatever! Do as you please!" Laurel said with a sour face, her arms folded against her bossom as she tried to look anywhere else except at Oliver and Curtis, Oliver resisting the urge to laugh at her child-like antics, settling instead for a fond smile, his eyes softening a bit as he looked at her with nothing but love and compassion.

"Come here." Oliver said with his hands open wide for a hug.

"Idon'twantto" Laurel mumbled, too rapidly for anything that came out of her lips to make any sense whatsoever.

"Come on...!" Oliver egged on as he forcefully pulled her into his arms and wrapped her up in a loving embrace.

Laurel didn't return the hug, partly because she was angry at him at the moment, but also because Oliver had pulled her in so fast that her arms were still folded around her chest when he pulled her in, making it impossible for her to return the hug. However, she didn't pull away and in fact nuzzled her head at the crook of his neck, which told Oliver that she wasn't rejecting his hug after all.

"I hate you...and love you...but mostly hate you." Laurel said, inducing an involuntary chuckly from Oliver, amused by the sheer incredulity of Laurel's attempt to kill the moment.

"Well, I'm incapable of feeling anything except love for you, so you're just going to have to find a way to deal with that." Oliver retorted.

"Way to go making me feel like the bad guy you jerk. You could have at least said you hate me sometimes...just a little." Laurel whined with such a cute pout that Oliver couldn't help but wonder how someone so cute and innocent looking at times could be such a stone cold killer at other times.

 **Three Days Later: 01:45am. Undiscloded Location**

"Maseo! Why are you doing this? How are you even still alive?" John asked as soon as the gag was removed from his mouth.

He had just been evicted from a black mini van that had been used to transport him to this site, a beautiful site he had to admit. It was a very big, two story house, not exactly a mansion but not small at all by any means. The yard was especially huge, with a perfect blend between man made structure and nature, the yard having a beautiful fountain built at the centre of the driveway and also a beautiful garden.

John was still in his prison clothes, and had his legs and arms shackled up by Maseo, or rather, Sarab and his teammates, John counting three of them in total, four if you count Maseo. It definitely didn't escape John that they were all wearing league of assassins outfits, complete with a hood, a quiver, a bow, and a stack of arrows. If John didn't know any better he could have sworn that he must have time travelled or something, because last he checked not only was the league of assassins disbanded, but Maseo was supposed to be dead.

"Maseo is dead, only Sarab exists." Sarab replied as he pushed John at the back, forcing him to start walking towards the beautiful and surprisingly homey house.

"Oh spare me the semantics Maseo! You know damn well what I mean!" John said with anger and frustration in his tone.

"If you must know. I did die, but Ra's Al Ghul-sama ressurrected me." Sarab explained as the two, along with Sarab's team approached the house.

"Ra's Al Ghul...?" John trailed off with a surprised and fearful expression, not even wanting to imagine what kind of horrors that psychopathic sadist had in store for him and Star City, and the entire world.

"Yes. I won't go into the details of the matter however, lest I reveal league secrets to an outsider." Sarab replied.

"Hold on a minute!" John said as he stopped ubruptly, turning around to look Sarab in the eye.

"What?" Sarab asked with a bored tone of voice.

"The league of Assassins was disbanded, Ra's Al Ghul is dead, and the Lazarus Pit was destroyed! So why the hell are you wearing those uniforms? How the hell did Ra's Al Ghul come back? How did **you** come back?" John asked hysterically, Sarab unable to help but to feel like he was talking to a man who was unravelling right in front of his eyes.

"The League of Assassins is no more, only the League Of Shadows exists. The Lazarus Pit is no more, and how I came back is a secret that will not be shared with an outsider. As far as how Ra's Al Ghul-sama came back...well, why don't you see for yourself." Sarab said as he opened the door to the house, roughly pushing John Diggle into the house when he felt resistance from the big guy.

"Do not worry, we did not save you from execution only to have you killed here. Ra's Al Ghul-sama is a friend to you, you can trust him." Sarab said as he ushered John into the living room.

"Yeah sure, we're such good friends he and I." John rolled his eyes at the impossiblity of what Sarab just said.

 **"Finally, you have arrived, John Diggle. I've been waiting, it's been so long since last I saw you. Welcome, my friend."** A man spoke with what was obviously a voice modulator.

The man was well built, tall and possessing a very athletic build. He was wearing what suspiciously looked like a pitch black version of the Green Arrow's outfit, complete with a bow, a quiver, and a stack of arrows. The main difference was that the man was wearing some kind of mask that covered the entirety of his face, the mask possessing red, glowing eyes that John couldn't help but to find intimidating (Earth X Arrow's outfit without the Nazi symbols and colours).

"I'm not your damn friend! Imposter! I don't have to see your face to know that you aren't the real Ra's!" John said indignantly.

 **"Irrespective of how you feel, let me assure you that I am indeed the real Ra's, and that you are welcome here."** The mysterious figure, now identified as Ra's, said hospitably.

"Where exactly is here? And why am I here?" John asked, not beating about the bush as he went straight to the point.

 **"This is a League of Shadows safe house. It is a safe house designated for our friends, guests, and allies. You will be staying here until we have captured General Walker and his goons and forced a confession out of them. Naturally, we expect them to sell the weapon and the drugs that they smuggled so we will be monitoring them in the meantime so that we can catch them in the act. We will videorize the meeting and that, combined with the confessions we force out of them, should be enough to clear your name. When that is done, you will be able to leave the safe house and return to your family."** Ra's Al Ghul explained in detail.

"Just like that? You expect me to believe that you're helping me out and don't want anything in return?" Diggle asked skeptically.

 **"There's no catch John, your wife asked us to help, and we're helping. She didn't promise us anything, and we didn't ask for anything, nor will we. One doesn't need to ask for anything when helping out a friend."**

"Lila contacted you? Why would she? After I told her that..."

 **"That you're getting what you deserve? That you're paying for your sins? Okay, let's entertain that thought process for a moment. Let's say you do deserve to rot in jail and get executed for a crime you didn't commit. Sure okay, maybe you deserve it, but does Lila deserve it? Does she deserve to lose her husband and partner? Does she deserve to become a single mother? Does little John deserve to grow up without a father? Are you that pathetic that you would choose death over fulfilling your responsibilities to your family?"** Ra's Al Ghul said with disgust, catching John completely off guard as he didn't see that one coming at all, and when put to him like that, he really couldn't do or say anything to refute what this guy was saying, no matter how much it infuriated him.

"Who the hell are you to judge me?" John retorted defensively.

 **"Your family...!"** Ra's Al Ghul said as he pressed his index finger somewhere around his right ear, which caused the mask on his face to completely faze out, John realising that the mask was a hologram all along. However, much to John's dismay, the guy was wearing another mask underneath the hologram, except this one only covered the lower half of his face, which didn't help much because John still couldn't discern any of his facial features with the mask and the hood on. Thanfully, the man followed up by removing the hood from his head.

"O-Oliver...!"

 **45 minutes later: Same Location**

"And, well, that's about the gist of it." Oliver, who was still wearing his face mask, concluded his explanation to John, the two of them seated on opposite sides of the safe house lounging room, John no longer shackled anymore and not a single league aassassin in site, with the exception of Oliver that is to say, Oliver having ordered his men to give him and his guest some alone time.

"So let me get this straight. You broke up with Felicity, basically renewed your vows to Nyssa Al Ghul, and she has a sister called Talia, who happens to be your mentor, to whom you're also married to...in a polygamus marriage? And you re-organised the league of assassins, and they're now called the league of shadows, and you're Ra's Al Ghul?" John asked in disbelief, leaving Oliver stupified at how somebody can used so many 'ands' in one paragraph, pretty sure that there was no way that such a ridiculous paragraph was grammatically correct.

"Yes, pretty much." Oliver said casually.

"So you run an organisation of assassins now?" John asked with a disgusted tone and facial expression.

"I don't know why you're looking at me like that John, I was after all an assassin known as _The Hood_ when we first met." Oliver retorted.

"In case you don't remember, I vehemently disapproved of your methods even back then!" John said angrily.

"And yet you still joined my crusade and fought side by side with me." Oliver countered.

"A mistake I won't ever make again!" John retaliated.

"That's all well and good." Oliver said as if it was nothing of consequence, which in fact it was as far as he was concerned.

"What's that supposed to mean?" John asked suspiciously.

"It means I didn't break you out of prison so that you can work beside me as Spartan again. I don't know how low you kept your head when you were in the military, but a lot has changed in Star City and with Team Arrow since you've been away. Quite frankly, you wouldn't be able to handle being on the team if you came back."

 _'Even though you have possibly killed just as many people as I have in your time in the military.'_ Oliver thought darkly.

"I still don't..."

"I have a new team John, a team of super powered people. Meta humans, super soldier enhanced people, bio-technologically enhanced people, etc etc. Also, Deathstroke is part of the team, and..."

"What did you just say?" John said, instantly jumping onto his feet, such was the sheer shock and disbelief that he was feeling about what he had just heard.

"Oliver how could you! The man is responsible for literally hundreds of deaths in Star City! He almost destroyed the city, he and his mirakuru army, and you're just going to bring him into the team just like that? How could you do something like that? What do you think the people..."

"The people don't know that Slade is still alive. They believe that this is a different individual who has taken on the name in order to strike fear in the criminals of Star City. Someone who wants to put a new meaning to the name 'Deathstroke'."

"That doesn't matter Oliver! It doesn't matter one bit! You still know who the man behind the Deathstroke mask is! How could you..."

"John! We both know that Slade wasn't in his right mind when he committed those acts. He was literally insane. Last time I checked insanity was a legal ground of aquital for crimes commited, you know, since you're all about peace and justice." Oliver retorted.

"What happened to you man? How did you turn into this monster in such a short space of time?"

"Slade is like a brother to me, he's my mentor and my brother. I did what any brother would do. If the roles were reversed, and it was you in Slade's position, I would have done the same for you too. So think carefully before you pass judgement on me."

"Oliver the man killed your mother...!"

"John...!" Oliver cut in angrily, but was quickly able to reign in his anger and calm himself down before the situation got out of hand.

"Look, there's something else I have to tell you, it's about Laurel."

"Geat! I voice my disagreement about something wrong you're doing and your response is to bring up something that you know is a sore spot for me? Is that how it's going to be now Oliver? Everytime I don't back a decision you've made you're going to bring ny greatest shame and..?"

"John just shut up for a few seconds and let me finish what I want to say. I'm not trying to guilt trip you about Laurel, there's new information you need to hear concerning her." Oliver said irritably.

"New information?" John asked with confusion.

"There's a new member in Team Arrow known as Black Siren. She is a meta human with the ability to release super powered sonic waves from her vocal cords, enough to crumble a 50 story building in mere seconds. Her real identity is Laurel Lance." Oliver deadpanned.

"I...Impossible! That can't...what did you do Oliver?" John asked with an accusatory tone, wondering if Oliver somehow did the same thing he did to Maseo to Laurel, whatever it is that he did to Maseo.

"I didn't do anything. She is not from our universe John, she is from a parallel universe. Apparently, there are approximately 51 universes that exist simultaneously with ours. In others we exist, in others we don't. In others we died, in others we are still alive. In others we live normal lives, and in others we live similar lives to this one. It sounds like fiction yes, but it is true. In fact, Zoom, the meta human speedster Barry defeated was from a different universe, and all of his meta human minions were from said universe." Oliver explained, taking a moment to gather his thoughts before continuing from where he left off.

"Laurel, Earth 2 Laurel, is from that universe, and she came here with Zoom as his Leuitenant. Barry kept her existence a secret from me and secretly imprisoned her in his pipe line prison. When I found out, I was so angry I swear it took everything within me not to march into Central City and kill him. That's why I don't want to keep this a secret from you. Laurel, this Laurel is similar in many ways to the Laurel you know, but she is also different in many ways. She is a sadist, borderline psychopath, and definitely a sociopath, but I still love her, and she loves me, and she has agreed to change her ways and now works with me as a member of Team Arrow. You probably wouldn't get along with her, and her existence would just drudge up bad memories for you, so I didn't bring her along. In fact, she actually would rather see you dead so that's another reason I didn't bring her." Oliver concluded his explanation.

"This...! This is just too much Oliver! I know your life is crazy, hell, no one knows that better than me. But this? Multiple Universes? A doppelganger of Laurel? And she's a psychopathic meta-human? Why is it that it seems like you're surrounding yourself with killers and psychopaths Oliver?"

"Because they don't hesitate to do what needs to be done. They don't question our methods and they are prepared to fight fire with fire when need be." Oliver said with a sinister undertone.

"It sounds like you think that Felicity and I were holding you back. Is that why Oliver? Is that the real reason you basically chased Felicity away? For what? So that you can renew your vows with Nyssa Al Ghul of all people? So that you can reconnect with her sociopathic sister who turned you into a serial killer? So that you can surround yourself with criminals and societal rejects?" John asked incredulously.

"People looked at Vigilante, Deathstroke, Black Siren, and Ragman and saw monsters, demons in human form, terrifying, evil beings that were the scourge of society. However, I saw potential, because I remembered. I remembered that even though the media and the justice system condemned my actions as The Hood, even though they relegated my actions to nothing more than the actions of a deranged psychopath, and even though all of the criminals in Star City wanted me dead, that the innocent, stand up citiizens of Star City did not fear me. They were given hope by my actions, and those whose lives I saved and helped in other ways, were grateful for my existence. I remembered, that the criminal justice system itself was full of corrupt cops and judicial officers. I remembered that that same justice system had allowed countless innocent lives to be lost because of their corruption, negligence, and in-adequacy. John, maybe my comrades and I are nothing but trash to you, but the good people of Star City disagree with you, and at the end of the day, their safety and sense of security is all that matters." Oliver said with conviction.

"..."

"..."

"How did Felicity take it?" John eventually asked, effectively breaking the silence that had taken the room by the throat after Oliver's passionate speech.

"How did she take what?" Oliver asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not being a part of the operation anymore, and you being married to Nyssa...and Talia." John asked with concern.

"I don't know, we're not exactly on speaking terms. Last time I checked she was starting up her own tech company, or at least trying to." Oliver said dismissively.

"That's it? That's all you have to say..."

"Don't...go there!" Oliver said with a firm tone.

"John, I know you've always backed Felicity, that you two share a bond. She's like a sister to you, I get it, but if you're so concerned about her then you can go and pay her a visit when we clear your name. Until then, leave me out of it okay." Oliver said with finality.

"Oliver what happened between the two of you? Do you really hate her that much?"

"No, I don't hate her." Oliver said as if that alone was the answer to everything.

"You know what man, whatever. I don't know what happened to you while I was gone, but I don't need the help of someone who abandons his friends."

"So you would have me abandon you because you don't want the help of someone who abandons his friends? I can't even begin to make sense of that ideology..."

"I don't care what you think!" John snapped defensively.

"Hn, doesn't matter. I'm helping you whether you like it or not. I gave Lila my word, and I don't intend to break it, and even if she hadn't asked me, I would have helped you anyway, whether you like it or not. Speaking of which, Lila should be on her way here along with your son. She'll probably arrive in the next ten minutes. Perhaps some time with your family will give you some much needed perspective." Oliver said as he got up from the couch, putting his hood back on and re-activating the hologram mask as he prepared to leave the establishment.

"Where are you going?" John asked, visibly shocked by Oliver's sudden departure, only now realising how much he missed his friend's company now that he was departing.

 **"I'm going home. It's late John, and I still have to go to work tommorrow morning. I imagine Lila won't be staying long either, she'll probably drop John jnr off and be on her way. She can't disappear and be nowhere to be found on the same night that you escaped from prison. She'll need to turn in for work tommorrow morning. Chin up my friend, for the next time you stand before me it will be as a free man, and you will be with your family and friends."** Ra's Al Ghul said as he made his way towards the door.

"Goodbye...Oliver, and thank you." John muttered under his breathe, not loud enough for the average human to hear, but then again, Oliver was in no way an average or normal human being.

"Leaving so soon, my lord?" Sarab asked as Oliver stepped out of the house.

 **"Unfortunately. Time is a valuable commodity, I more than anyone else in the world have to be vigilant about how I spend it. This is my fate as someone who lives a quadriple life. Besides, I want to give John some space and time with his family. Keep a close eye on him, the four of you are his body guards, but you are also his wardens. John must not leave this place until his name is cleared. Use whatever methods you deem neccessary to ensure that."** Ra's Al Ghul ordered, not even bothering to wait for a response as he marched passed his trusted general.

"Consider it done, my lord."

 **End Of Chapter**

 **This chapter was a neccessary evil to develop a few plot points and to tie in some loose ends. Probably not the best chapter but it sets things up for the next phase.**

 **I know most of the readers of Green Monster do not like Felicity, however, that doesn't mean we can pretend she doesn't exist (even though we want to). John has always taken Felicity's side and they almost always back each other when one of them has a disagreement with Oliver. So I figured this is probably how John would react when he found out what happened between Oliver and Felicity.**

 **Oliver, it's not that he is actively trying to keep his distance from her more than he just doesn't feel any connection or obligation to her anymore. He is also too busy, with his quadriple life (Billionaire Philantrapist, Politician/Mayor, Hero/Arrow, Assassin/Ra's Al Ghul) to be bothered with her, although that's not to say he isn't keeping tabs on her for various reasons that I'm sure you guys should be able to figure out.**

 **The title of the next chapter will be 'Invasion: Part 1' (yeah, shit just hit the fan).**

 **Preview of the Invasion Arc:**

 **Enter Brie Larvan aka Killer Bee**

 **Supergirl vs Team Arrow**

 **Overwhelming Strength vs Team Work**

 **What it means to be a Team**

 **Green Monster meets Killer Frost**

 **Okay guys so far it has mostly been development, I didn't want to rush things so I had to flesh it out so that you can see Oliver going through the changes and that was reflected by the people he chose to recruit and to work with. It was also meant to show what a significant impact Laurel had and is still having on him. Her death lead him to embrace his darker siden and now her dopppelganger is fueling, sustaining, and even cultivating that darker side, by just being herself around him and also intentionally. She loves that side of him, and is intoxicated by his strength and charisma. That's what I wanted to show you guys at least.**

 **Anyway, the team is now complete, and shit is about to hit the fan coz the invasion arc is up next, meaning that yawl get to see how Team Arrow interacts with the legends, super girl, and last but not least, Team Flash (Barry in particular).**

 **I already know what's gonna happen when he meets Supergirl, but I even I don't know how he is going to handle seeing Barry in person for the first time since the 'betrayal'. Anyway, I just hope the supergirl vs Team Arrow fight scene is gonna be as good as I'm imagining it in my head.**

 **Any stay tuned guys, and thanks for reading. Yawl take care now.**


End file.
